Depleted Azkals eye finals berth vs tough rival today

It will be another historic day for the Philippines as the Azkals face Turkmenistan at the Dashrath Stadium this afternoon for a chance at the title in the ongoing Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Philippine Azkals will be facing a tall order as since Turkmenistan is the top team in Group A and a finalists in the 2010 edition of the tournament.

Adding to the woes of the Azkals will be the absence of key players in James Younghusband and Angel Guirado.

Both players were suspended for their second yellow cards in their match against Tajikistan, whom the Azkals edged, 2-1, last Tuesday.

The Philippines advanced to the semifinals for the first time after finishing second to defending champions DPR Korea in Group B with a total of 6 points and a 2-0-1 (win-draw-loss) record.

Considered as the underdogs in this tournament, the Azkals bounced back from an 0-2 defeat against DPR Korea to blank 2008 champions India, 2-0, and edge 2006 champions Tajikistan, 2-1.

Turkmenistan, on the other hand, topped Group A with 7 points off a 2-1-0 card.

The former champions trounced Maldives, 3-1, routed Nepal, 3-0, and held Palestine to an all-0 draw.

This will be the second time that the Philippines will face Turkmenistan. The first time was in 2008, wherein they inflicted a 5-0 routing of the Philippines.

The other finals berth will be contested by Group A top finisher DPR Korea and Group B top 2 team Palestine.

The Philippines is not the only team making history in this year’s AFC Challenge Cup. Palestine is also the first West Asian representative to enter the semifinals.

The champion in this tournament will get an automatic entry to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup that will be held in Australia.