The Philippines are currently ahead of the pack midway through the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The Filipinos will host Timor Leste at home in New Clark City.
The Philippine men’s football team will be eager to continue pushing for a bid in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup when they face Timor Leste in the third round of qualifiers at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac on Tuesday night.
Having won their previous match against Timor Leste in Australia just last October 9, the Philippines eye to make more ground.
As it stands, the Philippines are the top-ranked team in Group A, which will mean they qualify for the main tournament. However, there were still many game days and possibilities to go with matches happening in November and March next year.
Bjorn Kristensen had a four-goal masterclass in their previous match against Timor Leste, owning all the Philippines’ goals of the match in the 4-1 victory.
[READ: Bjorn Kristensen scores four Philippine goals vs Timor Leste in AFC Asian Cup qualifiers]
He’s the leading goal scorer in the round with seven in total.
With momentum still on their side after their convincing win, the Philippines will hope for a similar victory — this time in front of Philippine fans.
The Philippine Football Federation is hoping for significant support from the fans whom they urged to attend the game and wear blue.
Currently, the Philippines have seven points with a +6 goal difference, while Tajikistan also have seven points with a +3 GD.
Having drawn with Tajikistan in their match last June also in New Clark City, the Philippines will be hard-pressed for another victory to hopefully keep at pace — or even surpass Tajikistan in points.
Tajikistan also have a match on Tuesday against Maldives in the National Football Stadium in Male.
After Timor Leste, the Philippines will have matches against the Maldives and Tajikistan in November and March, respectively.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.