Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — New players, new stadium, and a new campaign.
The Azkals, who have upgraded in terms of both personnel and facilities, are gearing up for another shot at booking a ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Azkals captain Rob Gier is delighted with the new additions to the team and the prospect of playing at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan.
“I’m just super excited really to see these guys,” said Gier. “It’s just a really exciting time, you’ve got World Cup Qualifiers coming up, first Azkal game coming up at the Philippine Sports Stadium.”
Photos: Azkals training for World Cup Qualifiers
According to Gier, the excitement is evident in training.
“You can see that in the training, the intensity’s sharp already and the quality throughout the squad is excellent,” said Gier.
“We’re ready and raring to go.”
Related: McMenemy: Younghusband-Patiño a deadly combo; Schrock brings energy to Azkals
A not so familiar opponent
The Philippines will open its campaign against Bahrain on June 11.
The Filipinos have shared the field with the opposition as recently as March, when the Azkals held a training camp in Bahrain.
“We always play teams that we’re kind of used to playing,” said Gier. “With South East Asian teams, we’re used to playing them, it just so happens that Bahrain is similar.”
But Gier believes that they will be facing a completely different side.
“I don’t think it will be the same team that they will put out against us in nine days time,” said Gier.
The Filipino captain is confident that they have done enough homework to have an idea on what to expect.
“We’ve done our research,” said Gier. “The coaches and the scouts have done their research on the players they think are going to play.”
With the chance to advance in the qualifiers at stake, Gier believes that the game will be nothing like their previous encounter.
“I think that it will be a totally different game, a totally different formation, there’s more at stake,” said Gier.
“We know it’s just going to be a really tough game against really good opposition, and we just want to get off to a winning start.”
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