MANILA (12 Oct 2012) – Philippines will shift a gear up tonight when they take on Bahrain and then Kuwait in four days as they move into what should be their final phase of preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup next month.
The Philippines national side – the losing semi-finalists two years ago – is currently in a tour of the Middle East where they will be taking on Bahrain at the Al-Muharraq Stadium in Manama, Bahrain.
“We are taking the match against the Filipinos seriously. I was, in fact, planning to play two different teams in the two halves, but since the Bahrain Football Association have classified the friendlies as official international friendlies, I cannot go ahead with my plans,” said Peter Taylor, the chief coach of Bahrain.
Added Dan Palami, the team manager of the Philippines: “we’re happy that the team is getting the chance to play a quality opponent in Bahrain. The team can only learn from this experience which we hope will come in handy in the AFF Suzuki Cup.”
For the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Philippines are in Group A against hosts Thailand, Vietnam and the winning team from the qualifiers.
