Azkals to practice in BahrainMANILA, Philippines — If the Philippine football team wishes to beat Kuwait in the second round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, the Filipinos must adjust quickly to the extremely hot desert conditions in the Middle East country.
Kuwait, a powerhouse in the Arab region, will host the opener of the two-leg qualifiers on July 23 before action shifts to the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Football Stadium five days later.
The first leg is tentatively set at 8 or 9 p.m., according to German coach Michael Weiss.
But even then, the Azkals should adapt to the hot and dry conditions or else they will wilt in the face of Kuwait’s superior skills.
The Kuwaitis are not only well funded but they are more experienced, quicker and craftier – one reason why they are considered one of the best teams in Middle East.
“Still, we have to take into consideration the extremely hot temperature,” said Weiss hours after the Azkals reached the second round by dominating Sri Lanka 4-0 for a 5-1 aggregate win at the packed Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Sunday.
The months of May to August are the hottest times of the year in Kuwait with daily temperature ranging between 38 degrees and 44 degrees Celsius.
To get acclimatized with the weather condition, the Azkals plan to fly to Kuwait’s nearby Middle East neighbor Bahrain, where they will play two friendly matches against its under-23 national team.
“That’s why we will train in Bahrain in the afternoon and I think that’s the same weather in Kuwait at night,” Weiss said.
Kuwait will be the Azkals’ biggest test.
Compared to Sri Lankans, the Kuwaitis are the giants.
Kuwait has made it into the World Cup finals in 1982 aside from ruling the Asia Cup in 1980. It achieved its highest FIFA ranking of No. 24 in 1998.
“We will have a totally different strategy against them. If we commit the lapses in defense we had against Sri Lanka, we will be punished by Kuwait,” said team manager Dan Palami, adding that their campaign will be boosted by the availability of Jerry Lucena and Ray Jonsson.
Palami also said striker Phil Younghusband is “now in stable condition” after suffering severe cramps after the game.
The winner in the Philippine and Kuwait showdown could possibly face either Palestine or Thailand in the third round.
link:
www.mb.com.ph/articles/325393/azkals-practice-bahrain