KEEPING THE FAITH: Depleted Philippines guns for semis victory vs Thailand

Game today:

(Rizal Memorial Football Stadium)

9 p.m. — Philippines vs Thailand

A depleted Philippine national men’s football team takes a crack at Thailand when they clash in the first leg of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup semifinals tonight at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.

Kick-off is set at 9 p.m. with the Nationals hoping to continue their unbeaten streak in the prestigious competition, where they will enjoy a homecourt edge against the defending champion.

The Philippines finished with a 1-3-0 win-draw-loss record to clinch the second seed in Group B and booked a seat in the semifinals for the first time in six years.

The last time the Philippines and Thailand clashed was at the King’s Cup at the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand last October in which the Thais defeated the Filipinos, 3-1, despite the presence of Filipino-German forward Gerrit Holtmann.

But the 29-year-old forward won’t be able to see action in this crucial semifinal battle due to his commitment with VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga.

Adding to the woes of the Philippines is the retirement of forward Patrick Reichelt and the suspension of defender Amani Aguinaldo after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stages.

Still, head coach Albert Capellas keeps the faith, insisting that they can still make something happen in the first leg despite their depleted personnel.

The addition of Santi Rublico to the home squad is expected to boost its defense along with defenders Adrian Ugelvik, Christian Rontini and Kike Linares.

“We always prepare for the games. We know that Thailand is a strong opponent but we will bring the same mentality,” Capellas said.

“If we can work together as a team, everybody runs at the right moment, then we increase our chances of success a lot. I hope they convert our chances because that makes the difference in football.”

The Nationals will lean on Bjorn Kristensen, who had scored two goals in the group stage.

Kristensen hopes to score more in the first leg as they try to get an early lead that will give them the momentum heading into the two-legged semifinals.

The second leg of the semifinals will be on 30 December at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

“I want to score but hopefully not another penalty kick. We just have to win the game and that’s it,” Kristensen said.

But it’s going to be an uphill battle.

The War Elephants are marching into the match oozing with confidence after winning their first four games in Group A.

Patrik Gustavsson, Suphanat Mueanta, and Teerasak Poeiphimai have all submitted solid performances and are currently joint second in the race for the Top Goalscorer award with three goals each.

Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii said they will do their best to adjust to the artificial turf in the football stadium while also keeping their guard up against the Philippines.

After all, the Nationals’ 1-0 win over Indonesia last Saturday shows they can steal a win at any given time.

“As a team, we have to adjust to our surroundings and that’s what we need to do. Looking at the Philippines’ match against Indonesia, it has gotten better both in attack and defense,” Ishii said.