THE Philippines goes up against Vietnam on Thursday night in an essentially must-win game for the home side in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Kick-off is at 9 p.m.
The Nationals are at third place in Group B with two points (0-2-0 win-draw-loss) heading into the match against Vietnam, the leader of the bracket having won both their two matches for six points.
The top two teams in each of the two four-nation groups advance to the semifinals.
READ PMNT's semis hopes fade after stalemate with Laos in ASEAN Cup
Indonesia is in second with four points (1-1-1 win-draw-loss), making the Philippines’ match against Vietnam an important one. A loss won’t oust PMNT in the semifinal race, but a win would certainly be a boost ahead of their final group stage match away to Indonesia on Saturday.
PMNT is coming off a a 1-1 draw with Laos after Michael Baldisimo's own goal was negated by a Sandro Reyes goal. The Philippines also drew with Myanmar, 1-1, in the opener last Thursday, but head coach Albert Capellas remains confident the team can finally finish their scoring opportunities.
“We still have an opportunity with two more matches to move on to the next round,” said Capellas. “I think it’s clear that we need to start finishing some of the chances that we’re creating.
"We have a lot of entries into the final third, getting in good positions. But in football sometimes, games are like this. And I'm confident that the group is going to start to finish these chances.”
Vietnam is coming off a 1-0 win over Indonesia last Sunday after its 4-1 rout of Laos last December 9.
Capellas vowed to give Vietnam a good fight in front of the home crowd that is definitely looking to see the team play in the semifinals.
“Of course, they are leading the group. And from my point of view, it’s the strongest team in the group and it’s the team that we have to beat. We’ll have a fantastic opportunity to prove ourselves if we can beat this kind of teams,” said Capellas.
“We obviously got two points in the first two matches, but we’re still very alive in this tournament. We respect Vietnam. They're a good team and the favorites in this tournament, but I think we’re going to give a good fight and go for the three points,” said Philippines striker Alex Monis.
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