For a change, the Philippines will be one of the fancied sides tipped to advance from its group when the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualifying kicks off March 28.
The Azkals, coming off a disappointing outing in the AFF Suzuki Cup, landed in Group F with Tajikistan, Yemen and Nepal in the draw held Monday night in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The top two teams from the group will advance to the Asian Cup, which has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams when the tournament is staged in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2019.
“There are some potential banana skins and the difficult travel has to be a concern but the team should pass that,” said former Azkals skipper Rob Gier.
The Azkals host Nepal at the start of qualifying on March 28. The Philippine Football Federation has yet to decide where to hold the match.
A trip to the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe follows on June 13 for the match against the second-seeded host, before the Azkals host Yemen on Sept. 5.