THE Philippine Azkals will face China on Monday night at Sharjah Stadium in UAE (Tuesday, Manila time) in the revised schedule of the Group A matches of the joint qualification for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup released by the Asian Football Confederation.
The Azkals are now slated to play China in the resumption of their World Cup and Asian Cup bid following the transfer of the centralized matches from Suzhou, China to Sharjah, UAE.
The national squad takes on Guam on Friday, June 11 before wrapping up the second-round campaign of the qualifiers against Maldives on Tuesday, June 15.
Focus is on the game against China, a crucial match for the Azkals in their bid to move into the next round of the World Cup qualifiers.
China holds the second spot with 10 points, three ahead of the Philippines, after its 7-0 win over Guam last Sunday, the only match held in Suzhou before moving the matches to UAE.
Lei Wu and Alan, a Brazilian footballer recently naturalized by China, scored two goals in that victory over Guam.
The top team in each of the eight groups along with the best four second placers will advance to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, and earn outright places in the Asian Cup.
The Azkals were scheduled to leave for United Arab Emirates on Thursday after a training camp in Doha in preparation for the final stretch of the second-round qualifiers.
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