The Philippine Men’s National Football Team has announced its official lineup for Matchday 6 of the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Forward Bjorn Kristensen returns to the Philippine Men’s National Football Team, alongside old reliables Jarvey Gayoso and Sebastian Rasmussen. The team’s other forwards are Gerrit Holtmann, Adrian Leipold, Javier Mariona, Amani Monis, and Raphael Obermair.
Getting the nod, too, are defenders Amani Aguinaldo, Michael Kempter, Enrique Linares, Jesper Nyholm, Daisuke Sato, Jefferson Tabinas, and Paul Tabinas. Midfield will be made up of Zico Bailey, Oskari Kekkonen, Manuel Ott, Sandro Reyes, and Raphael Schneider.
Manning the posts will be Kevin Ray Mendoza, Quincy Kammeraad, and Patrick Deyto.
Kristensen will look to continue his prolific scoring from last year, when he scored 4 goals in four games against Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, and Maldives. Tabinas will try to add to his two goals from last year, while Gayoso and Reyes, who fired one goal apiece, will add firepower to this Philippine Men’s National Football Team.
Who Will the Philippine Men’s National Football Team Face?
The Philippine Men’s National Football Team will be facing Tajikistan on March 31 at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan. It is an away game that will surely test the mettle and composure of the Philippines.
The match against Tajikistan is essentially a must-win for the Filipinos, as the home team in this clash currently holds a slight advantage in goal difference (+11 vs. the Philippines’ +10). This means a draw won’t be enough to propel the Philippines to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
This means Kristensen’s form will be crucial if the Philippines is to get the job done on hostile grounds. In the teams’ clash last year, the Fil-Norwegian striker scored the only two goals for Team Pilipinas, and he will likely be counted upon again to provide the needed firepower against Tajikistan.
The Philippines will be shooting for only its second-ever qualification to the Asian Cup on March 31 at 10:00 p.m. Philippine Standard Time.
