Philippines vs Syria
Thursday (5/9) later, the Philippines will face Syria in the Asian Cup World Cup qualifying round. Achieving numbers in the first week will be a crucial moment for both national teams who both performed poorly. The clash opened at the Panaad Stadium.
The Asian Cup became the last competition followed by the Philippines where they only became bullied material. They failed to qualify from Group C without reaping numbers at all, even scoring just one goal and conceding up to 7 times against South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan. Last June they returned to face China, this time in a trial party, also losing 2-0 again.
Meanwhile, Syria appeared in the West Asian Football Federation Championship competition. They also received report cards at the event with draws against Yemen (1-1) and Iraq (0-0), while the rest lost to Lebanon (2-1) and Palestine (4-3).
If you observe the above trends, then Syria is more deserved to be favored because at least they can still score goals. Reportedly, the Philippines will also not be strengthened by the main goalkeeper, Neil Etheridge, who suffered a hamstring injury when dealing with Wigan Ath last weekend. Manager Scott Cooper revealed that the Cardiff City goalkeeper must undergo treatment for at least up to 6 months.
In addition to Syria, the Philippines must also compete with China, Moldova and Guam in Group A. Mathematically, Syria and China will be the toughest competitors. This will be the fourth party against Syria where they have always lost during the previous three meals with striking scores, 2-0, 12-0, and 5-1. Therefore, they are less favored despite playing at home.
Our Prediction: 2
Odds: 1.60