Palami: Azkals not in best of shapes

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Azkals manager Dan Palami is tempering expectations ahead of the AFC Challenge Cup with the team yet to make headway in its preparations just six weeks before the tournament.

The Azkals are targeting a semifinal appearance in the March 9 to 13 tournament in Kathmandu, Nepal, but Palami said the task of pulling it off will be “very difficult” with the way their preparations have been going.

“Our target is the semifinals and our dream is to become champions,” said Palami.
“But, realistically, in the position that we are right now, we can’t dream too much.”
The Azkals are flying to Dubai next week to play two matches against the Under-23 teams of Uzbekistan and Australia. They will also make a stop in Qatar to face topnotch club Al Ahli.

“We’re trying the best we can locally, but we’re really looking forward to the trip to Dubai so we can focus solely on the preparations we need,” said Palami.

The Azkals got a boost Wednesday following the arrival of Juan Luis Guirado, the older brother of striker, Angel. Guirado can play central defense, cushioning the impact of the absence of the injured Aly Borromeo.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss said there will be few changes in the lineup for Nepal with Chieffy Caligdong expected to recover from knee injury in time for the tournament.

Fil-German prospect Denis Wolf is still hoping he could get a Filipino passport that would make him eligible for the Challenge Cup. Wolf’s mother, Patricia Santos, is from Manila.

Minus some of their standouts who are training with their United Football League clubs, the Azkals played an exhibition game Wednesday night against UFL pacesetter Stallion during the launch of The Turf at Bonifacio Global City.

The Turf is the first in the series of sports facilities that will be constructed at the BGC. “This is good for football,” Weiss said, referring to the Fifa-standard facility.