Gilas Pilipinas Youth will try to keep its 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup dream alive when it faces Syria in the playoff round of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup on Thursday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.

Tipoff is set at 1 p.m. (Manila time) as the Philippines enters the knockout stage needing two more victories to secure a place in the semifinals and, more importantly, a ticket to next year’s U19 World Cup in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Gilas Youth finished second in Group A with a 2-1 record after opening its campaign with a thrilling 89-88 escape over Chinese Taipei before suffering a 69-107 setback to defending champion Australia. Then, they routed Southeast Asian rival Thailand, 91-62, to enter the playoffs oozing with confidence.

The Syrians, on the other hand, are having a rollercoaster campaign as they finished Group B with a 1-2 win-loss card. The West Asians’ lone win came at the expense of struggling Lebanon, 72-64, which proved to be their first ever win in this competition in 14 years.

Still, Gilas assistant coach Andre Santos is wary, knowing that the knockout stage is an entirely different challenge now that they need to stay focused with their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance.

The last time the Filipinos reached the semifinals of this continental event was in 2018 when the squad bannered by future stars Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Dave Ildefonso finished fourth.

Gilas Youth cannot afford to look too far ahead, however, as a victory over Syria would set up a daunting quarterfinal clash against 11-time champion China for a victory that will give it one of the four Asian berths in the 2027 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Far Eastern University standout Jan Cagurungan is expected to remain one of Gilas Youth’s primary offensive weapons after averaging 11.7 points and three rebounds while Ethan Aguas will also be crucial after posting 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in the preliminary round.

Syria, meanwhile, will lean on Yusuf Takriti, who averaged 12.3 points in the group stage, while Majak Awutiak Mathiang Majak and Taym Aldassouki contributed 12 points apiece.

With no room for error from this point onward, Gilas Youth will have to put its lessons from the group stage to good use as it begins its most important stretch of the tournament.