Azkals hone up in friendlies vs Malaysians, Nepalese

MANILA, Philippines - After last month’s heartbreaking loss in the finals of the PFF Peace Cup on home soil, the Philippine Azkals return to action to play friendlies against the national sides of Malaysia and Nepal overseas.

The Azkals will face regular opponent Malaysia Tigers on Oct. 11 in Shah Alam in Selangor then face the Nepalese 20 days later during their scheduled training camp

in Doha, Qatar. The Phl booters, who have returned

to their respective clubs after the runner- up finish to Myanmar (2-3 in extra time) at Rizal Memorial, will get back to camp and start training together on Saturday to prepare for their fifth showdown with the Tigers since 2012.

Phl and Malaysia battled to a pair of

scoreless draws early this year, the first in Selayang and the second in Cebu. Two years ago, they played to a standoff in Shah Alam, 1-1, and Manila, 0-0.

The Azkals will meet Nepal for the second time this year, seeking to repeat their masterful 3-0 drubbing last April 11. Round 2 of Phl-Nepal is supposed to be bunched with some other friendlies in the

Pinoys’ Qatar camp. Also being arranged are matches with Qatari clubs and one more national side.

The Filipinos are gearing up for the AFF Suzuki Cup in November, seeking to go all the way this time after semifinal stints in the last two editions of Asean’s premier competition.