Mumbai, Jan 20 (UNI) Alen Stajcic's Philippines will face a litmus test in their AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 Group B opening fixture against powerhouse Thailand on January 21.
Philippines have not beaten Thailand in 12 previous attempts and the duel at the D.Y. Patil Stadium is set to be a thrilling encounter.
In spite the overwhelming odds, Stajcic is optimistic of his team’s chances as they aim to advance from the group stage for the second time following their sixth place finish in 2018.
"We are excited to be here playing against the best in Asia and we are here to try create history for Philippines football," said Stajcic. "We want to make the most out of our campaign here in India."
"We are putting all our energy and focus on the match (against Thailand). But we are looking at ourselves, to be honest, and preparing the best we can and being ready for whatever happens.
"I know it is cliche but if you look too far ahead you can sometimes lose a bit of focus so we are focused on our own preparation."
The bulk of the Philippines' 23-player squad have AFC Asian Cup experience from 2018 in Jordan, where they were edged out of a FIFA World Cup slot after losing to Korea in the playoffs.
After topping their group in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Philippines set up camp in Irvine, California before flying to Mumbai last week.
"There are a lot of challenges. From players coming from all over the globe, some were in clubs, some were not. Some of them have not played for a long time due to lockdowns brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Game experience and matches have been very low so we started with that base in Irvine, California. All of these players have worked extremely hard to get to this point."
Stajcic’s opposite number Miyo Okamoto is confident going into the clash, stating his charges have prepared well for the tournament.
"We have been training for quite a while after the qualifiers," said Okamoto. "The players have worked well together during our sessions and each player can replace the other, so we will plan for all eventualities in each game."
Thailand have not played any official matches since the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers but Okamoto insisted that his charges do not need time to reach their maximum potential.
"We know that the first game (against the Philippines) is a very important game for us, so we will do everything we can and hope for the result we want, even though we have not played competitively since the qualifiers."
Taneekarn Dangda, Pikul Khueanpet, Sunisa Srangthaisong and Silawan Intamee are just some of the Thailand players with FIFA World Cup experience under their belts and Okamoto believes that exposure will help the team through this tournament.
"Many of our players in this squad have played in the FIFA World Cup, and that has helped them with their confidence ahead of this match and for the tournament. Our long-term goal is to make it to the FIFA World Cup."
UNI PN