Philippine Azkals vs North Korea: FIFA World Cup Qualifying Preview, Live Stream & Where To Watch
Philippines and Korea will resume their campaign in the FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday in Pyongyang.
North Korea are currently on top of Group H after winning their first three qualifying matches. On Thursday, they will be heavy favorites, as they are expected to get huge crowd support at the Kim II-Sung Stadium.
The North Koreans kicked off their World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win against Yemen, which was followed by an impressive 4-2 win against Uzbekistan in Pyongyang. In their third match, North Korea escaped with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Bahrain.
On the other hand, Philippines also had a strong start in the tournament, scoring a 2-1 win against higher-ranked Bahrain, which was followed by a masterful 2-0 win against Yemen. However, the Philippine Azkals were sent back to earth by a humbling 1-5 loss to Uzbekistan at home last month.
Azkals team captain Phil Younghusband admitted that they are clueless heading into the match, but he said they will go all out in their game against North Korea, who have appeared in two World Cup finals before.
"The players honestly don't know what to expect," Younghusband told ESPN FC. "We hear a lot of stories and rumours but you never know what really goes on until you go there. The players are very excited and see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity so we don't want to let it pass us by. We want to make the most of it."
Azkals coach Thomas Dooley also said that they will be playing in an unfamiliar territory because North Korea is known as one of the most secretive country in the world. But Dooley is quite sure that the at least 50,000 fans inside the stadium will be cheering against them.
Dooley remains confident, though, that his players will respond to the challenge on Thursday despite their opponent's home court advantage.
"The players are in a good mood and they are having fun in training that keeps me thinking positive," Dooley told CNN Philippines. "I know they will try to do the best they can to get a great surprising result."
Philippines are currently third in Group H behind North Korea and Uzbekistan. After their match against North Korea, they will collide with Bahrain on Oct. 13 in a crucial match.
Where To Watch & Live Stream
The Philippines-North Korea World Cup Qualifying match is scheduled to start at 3 a.m. ET. TV broadcast schedule and live stream information are available on Live Soccer TV.
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