Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Philippinesvs.Iraq

sportsmole.co.uk, 25 March 2024, 00:58
Philippines will be looking to get up and running in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they take on Iraq at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the second of their pick up their first win in the

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.

Previews by email

Top News

15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk European Championship holders Italy bounced back from an early setback to record a 2-1 victory over Albania in their Euro 2024 opener on Saturday night. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nedim Bajrami has broken a European Championship record after scoring in Albania's 2-1 defeat to Italy in their opening Euro 2024 Group B clash at Westfalenstadion on Saturday night. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Croatia captain Luka Modric has said that his side must move on quickly from their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Spain in their opening match at Euro 2024. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain captain Alvaro Morata is confident that he will be available for his country's second match at Euro 2024 after suffering an injury scare against Croatia on Saturday evening. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal said that he was "thrilled" to play a key role in Spain's 3-0 success over Croatia, with La Roja making an impressive start to their Euro 2024 campaign. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has said that his side must remain focused after opening their European Championship campaign with an impressive win over Croatia. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing two players from Serie A during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly identified a replacement for Erling Haaland should the prolific attacker leave the club in the near future. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal scored the goals as Spain opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Croatia in Berlin on Saturday evening. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic has reportedly attracted interest from Turkish side Galatasaray ahead of this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The Premier League is widely regarded as the best division in world football that has been blessed with a plethora of talent players and successful managers. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will be looking to end a 45-year streak when they square off against Netherlands on Sunday afternoon. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa have reportedly been in discussions with Chelsea over a potential deal for Ian Maatsen during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal has become the youngest-ever player to feature in the finals of a European Championship at the age of 16 years and 338 days old. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich are reportedly willing to allow Alphonso Davies to enter the final 12 months of his contract in what is a huge blow to Real Madrid's chances of signing the Canadian. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are allegedly willing to let one of their most important players leave the club during this summer's transfer window if a suitable offer arrives. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United's new minority shareholder has allegedly made six members of the first-team squad at Old Trafford 'unsellable' during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Switzerland survived a late Hungary scare to triumph 3-1 in their opening Euro 2024 Group A contest in Cologne. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina has confirmed that Brighton & Hove Albion defender Valentin Barco is one of three players omitted from Lionel Scaloni's final Copa America squad. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have contacted Premier League rivals Chelsea regarding the potential signing of 21-year-old Levi Colwill this summer, according to a report. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will reject any offers for striker Julian Alvarez this summer amid ongoing interest from several big clubs across Europe including Chelsea, according to a report. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have apparently taken the first step towards their maiden summer signing by making contact with Premier League rivals Everton over a deal for a £50m-rated midfielder. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are eyeing a move for highly-rated Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams in this summer's transfer window, according to a report. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Belgium are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Slovakia on Monday, with the Red Devils bidding to make the perfect start to their Euro 2024 campaign. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Slovakia's squad for Euro 2024 is headlined by Milan Skriniar, and the Paris Saint-Germain defender is in line to win his 69th cap for his national side in their campaign opener against Belgium. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk France manager Didier Deschamps is reportedly considering making a U-turn on a key Euro 2024 selection decision involving Arsenal centre-back William Saliba. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Belgium and Slovakia will get their respective Euro 2024 Group E campaigns underway on Monday evening with an intriguing match-up at the Frankfurt Arena. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Germany trio Julian Nagelsmann, Ilkay Gundogan and Niclas Fullkrug all hailed Die Mannschaft's exceptional performance after the Euro 2024 hosts kicked off their bid for glory with a record-breaking 5-1 crushing of Scotland in Group A. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane tore Andrew Robertson apart after Scotland began their Euro 2024 campaign with an embarrassing 5-1 loss at the hands of hosts Germany.