Philippinesvs.Iraq

The Lions of Mesopotamia, on the other hand, are one of six nations with a 100% record in the qualifiers and will be looking to make it four wins from four matches in Group F.

Match preview

Philippines were denied their first win of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Iraq in the first of their Group F double-header last Thursday.

Al-Shorta forward Mohanad Ali put the visitors to the sword at the Basra International Stadium as he netted the only goal of the game in the 84th minute to hand Iraq a narrow victory.

Prior to that, Tom Saintfiet's men kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Vietnam on November 16, five days before playing out a 1-1 draw with Indonesia at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

With last week's defeat, Philippines have now failed to win any of their last five competitive matches, losing four and claiming one draw since a 5-1 thrashing of Brunei in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup back in December 2022.

With just one point from a possible nine, Philippines, who are 139th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, sit rooted to the bottom of Group F, but could move level with second-placed Indonesia with all three points on Tuesday.

However, the Azkals face the stern challenge of taking on an Iraq side who have enjoyed a superb qualifying campaign, winning each of their three matches while scoring seven goals and keeping two clean sheets.

Iraq kicked off their quest for a place in the 2026 World Cup with a bang as they cruised to an emphatic 5-1 victory over Indonesia at the Basra International Stadium on November 16.

However, Jesus Casas Garcia's men needed a 97th-minute strike from Ali to see off a dogged Vietnam side 1-0 in their second group outing at the My Dinh National Stadium on November 21.

Prior to Friday's victory over Philippines, the Lions of Mesopotamia suffered a somewhat disappointing round-of-16 exit from the Asian Cup following a 3-2 loss against Jordan in Qatar.

Iraq will look to pick up where they left off last week as they continue their quest for a first World Cup appearance since debuting in 1986, where they crashed out in the group stages after losing each of their three matches.

Philippines World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

L

D

L

Philippines form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

D

L

Iraq World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

W

W

W

Iraq form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

L

W

Team News

Off the back of an injury-free outing on Friday, Saintfiet could name a similar XI here, with Javier Gayoso and San Jose Earthquakes man Michael Baldisimo leading the attack.

Christian Rontini and 28-year-old Amani Aguinaldo should form the centre-back pairing, while Birmingham City man Neil Etheridge should start between the sticks once again.

Ali has netted two crunch goals for Iraq in their last two qualifying matches and we expect the 23-year-old to lead the attack once again, alongside Ibrahim Bayesh and Ali Jasim Elaibi.

Osama Rashid made his 35th appearance for the Lions of Mesopotamia and the Vizela man should retain his role at the centre of the park, alongside 26-year-old Amir Al Ammari.

At the defensive end of the pitch, we expect an unchanged back four of Hussein Ali, Dhurgham Ismail, Rebin Sulaka and 23-year-old Zaid Tahseen.

Philippines possible starting lineup:

Etheridge; Lyngbo, Rontini, Aguinaldo, Tabinas; Reichelt, Ingreso, Kekkonen, Curran; Baldisimo, Gayaso

Iraq possible starting lineup:

Hassan; H Ali, Ismail, Sulaka, Tahseen; Al Ammari, Rashid; Bayesh; Resan, Elaibi, M Ali

We say: Philippines 0-2 Iraq

While Philippines will be desperate to get their qualifying campaign on track, they face the stern challenge of taking on a significantly superior and more experienced Iraq side. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two nations, we are tipping Garcia's men to come away with a comfortable victory on Tuesday.

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