Azkals seek‘feel-good’ win vs Cambodians

Match tonight (Rizal Memorial Stadium)

8 p.m. – Philippines vs Cambodia

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals gun for a confidence-boosting victory against Cambodia tonight at Rizal Memorial Stadium, seeking to set the stage for a “send-off party” before they wage battle in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

On the losing end in their last friendly against regional power Thailand (0-3), Azkals seek to bounce back against the Cambodians and gain a  morale shot heading into the Suzuki Cup group stages from Nov. 22-28 in Hanoi.

“It’s important to have a home game before you go to a big tournament. It’s a good thing to get a feeling of support from the fans, it gives us confidence,” said Azkals coach Thomas Dooley during yesterday’s pre-match press conference.

“This is also a good game for the players to show that they are ready for the tournament (Suzuki Cup),” he added.

The 8 p.m. friendly against Cambodia caps a series of international tune-ups both here and abroad that the Pinoy booters slated in the run-up to the Asean tilt.

“We want to play against a team that is difficult to play but not too difficult,” said Dooley.

The Azkals previously annihilated the Angkor Warriors, 8-0, in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in 2013 also at Rizal but Dooley maintained it won’t be an easy game for his wards.

“We have watched Cambodia in their last two games and they have developed,” he said.

Phl XI is coming off a humbling beating at the hands of Thailand last Sunday, a game that exposed its vulnerability against the counters of quick and disciplined opponents.

“I’m a little bit concerned with the mistakes we made against Thailand. We cannot make those mistakes in the next game or in the Suzuki Cup. We want to take care of those,” said Dooley.