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It’s just a friendly match but for the Akzals, it’s pretty important. The team is treating this as warm-up for a critical World Cup Qualifying assignment come Tuesday.
“Azkals coach Thomas Dooley hopes to use the 8 p.m. game as a gauge on his team’s readiness in Tuesday’s important battle with Uzbekistan,” reports Cedelf Tupas on Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The Azkals have beaten the Maldives 3-2 in exta time during the semis of the AFC Challenge last year.
So the most important thing the Azkals intend to gain during tonight’s game is a confidence boost. “It’s important for us to get a good result and get some confidence. Winning should be a habit,” Phil Younghusband said.
Tuesday’s game against Uzbekistan will be the Azkal’s toughest test yet.
Maldives, on the other hand, is also using Thursday’s match as practice for their Tuesday match against China.
8pm. Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila. With a live telecast on ABS-CBN Sports channel.
Photo: Azkals/Facebook Page
