The Philippine Azkals versus the Singapore Lions - Who has the biggest bite?

In the last friendly match before the Suzuki Cup for the Azkals, the Philippines will once more take on their South East Asian rivals, Singapore, Thursday in Cebu, at the Cebu City Sports Complex. Having jumped a rank in the region, the Azkals are now rated as the second-best side in South East Asia ahead of the friendly and the Suzuki Cup, while Singapore has fallen to 163 in the world, joint fifth in the region. Singapore will have some of their key men back for the game, after they missed out during their first ever loss to the Philippines, while the Azkals are without several key players based abroad – neither Neil Etheridge or Roland Muller will man the sticks for the friendly, while Stephan Schrock has been confirmed as unavailable for the entire Suzuki Cup tournament. Head-to-head Seventeen matches have been played between Singapore and the Philippines, the first in 1962, which saw Singapore win 5-0. That game set the tone for the future matches between the two countries, as Singapore went on to beat the Philippines fourteen more times throughout the decades, with the Philippines managing two draws in fifty years. However the history books are being rewritten. The Azkals’ rise from minnows to challengers under manager Dan Palami saw them defeat Singapore in September for the first time in their history. Whilst the side continued to climb above Singapore in the FIFA Rankings, the comfortable 2-0 victory, albeit with a stroke of luck as the ball bounced off patchy ground for Chieffy Caligdong’s opener, sent a message to South East Asia. A Philippine victory is no longer a shock or a surprise, as it was back in 2010 when beating Vietnam was in the top ten Sports Illustrated football stories of the year. Now the Azkals are genuine contenders. Singapore, meanwhile, has fallen in recent years. Coming into the last Suzuki Cup, in 2010, the Singaporeans were ranked 138th in the world and were considered among the favorites to win the competition – being the third-highest ranked South East Asian side. The Azkals stole their spot in the semifinals in 2010, a spot the Singaporeans had almost considered to be guaranteed for them. However they have tried to revitalize their team, and fashioned a Singapore Lions XII squad to play in the Malaysian Super League. A more competitive division, it gave many members of their national team greater exposure to better levels of play and time together to train and sync. Moreover, they successfully placed second, something that augurs well for them. Back in 2010, the Philippines had jumped to their highest rank then, at 151 in the world, after a successful Suzuki Cup Qualification stage. This still only translated to being the seventh highest rated side in the region, behind Thailand, who were 114 in the world, and even Myanmar at the time, who comfortably sat at 144. Now, however, the roles have reversed. As most of South East Asia has fallen over the last two years, only the Philippines and Vietnam have improved their ranks since 2010, Vietnam by a single place, and the Philippines by eight places. The Philippines have become genuine contenders, and look set to replace Singapore in the top portion of South East Asia. Singapore back to full strength Despite recent history, the Philippines will be challenged, with Singapore back to a full strength side. In the 2-0 win back in September, the Philippines faced a depleted Lions squad, after several injuries to key players, including famed striker Aleksander Duric. The 42-year-old, who has 22 goals in 44 appearances, will no doubt be a factor, but this could indeed be his last major tournament after making his debut for Singapore back in 2007.   Of course he’ll want to go out with a bang and so Singapore will be set on proving themselves, and getting a little bit of revenge against the Philippines, before the Suzuki Cup begins later this month. This game will be anything but friendly, as Singapore is looking for revenge and is out to prove it belongs among the elite in South East Asia, while the Philippines will be looking to cement their place and show that their first-ever win against the Lions wasn’t a fluke. The Azkals squad Notable about the Azkals squad is only Rob Gier, Ray Jonsson, and returning 2010 Suzuki Cup hero Christopher Greatwich are based outside the Philippines. In goal, Ed Sacapano will likely start ahead of Paolo Pascual, though management and fans will be hoping Neil Etheridge or Roland Muller will be available for the Suzuki Cup, with both goalkeepers still unsure if they can make it due to club commitments.   The defense and midfield continue to improve for the Azkals, but without Angel Guirado, the Azkals still lack bite up front with Ian Araneta and Denis Wolf misfiring of late. Phil Younghusband will be the Azkals’ number on forward again, though he may be tired after the quick roundtrip from Cebu to Manila to play for Loyola in the semifinals of the UFL Cup. With only two weeks left after this friendly before both teams will compete in the Suzuki Cup, the missing names are a great concern. However it is also a chance for some of the fringe players to show they deserve a starting place and to showcase the new chemistry of the team.   Azkals squad list versus Singapore: Goalkeepers Paolo Pascual (Global) Ed Sacapano (Army) Defenders Roel Gener (Army) Rob Gier (Ascot United) Juani Guirado (Global) Ray Jonsson (Grindavik) Carli De Murga (Global) Jason Sabio (Kaya) Demit Omphroy (Global) Matthew Uy (Global) Midfielders Marvin Angeles (Global) Marwin Angeles (Global) Misagh Bahadoran (Global) Chieffy Caligdong (Air Force) Jeffrey Christiaens (Global) Jason De Jong (Stallions) Anto Gonzales (Loyola) Chris Greatwich (Morris County Colonials) Nestorio Margarse Jr. (Army) Patrick Reichelt (Global) James Younghusband (Loyola) Forwards Ian Araneta (Air Force) Joshua Beloya (Ceres FC) Denis Wolf (Global) Philip Younghusband (Loyola) - AMD, GMA News