MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals' build-up for the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup kicks into higher gear on Friday as they take on the higher-ranked Bahrain in the first of a pair of friendlies at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Azkals, currently ranked 125th in the world, will take on a Bahrain team that is one rank higher. The national team is looking for a measure of revenge after a 0-2 setback to Bahrain in October 2015 during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
After playing Bahrain on Friday, the Azkals will then take on North Korea on October 10, Monday, also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
For Dooley, good results against Bahrain and North Korea will give them a boost when they play teams like Singapore and Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup in November, though he warned that the Azkals cannot afford to be overconfident.
"It should give us confidence going into games, and we are in a position to show them why we are there, and you are over there (in the FIFA rankings)," he said. "If you have this mentality going to those games into the tournament, then you'll be successful."
"But if you underestimate the other team, and overestimate the ability of your team, then you'll have a problem," he added.
Friday's match marks the fourth meeting in two years between Philippines and Bahrain, with the Azkals notching just one victory – a 2-1 result at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan in June 2015.
Yet Dooley and Azkals veteran Phil Younghusband both said they remain excited to play Bahrain and consider Friday's game as a crucial part of their preparation and development.
"I want to play against good, strong teams," Dooley stressed. "We can learn from those games. If we play against strong teams like Bahrain, then we have to fight and we have to put everything on the plate to win the game. Those are the games I want to play."
"We still have a lot to prove against them," Younghusband, for his part, pointed out. "Also, we're playing at Rizal this time, so there are different conditions, different turf, and different players. Each game is different, and we always go with something to show."
Dooley previously named the 24 players who will see action for the Azkals in both friendlies, with Mike Ott, brother of Manny, tipped to boost the frontline along with Misagh Bahadoran. Stephan Schrock was also named to the line-up, along with both Phil and James Younghusband.
"I have total confidence in the players that we have," Dooley said. "If we are working together as a team, then we should be very, very successful for the Suzuki Cup, and next year as well in the Asian Cup."
This will be the Azkals' first match at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum since their famous 3-2 victory over North Korea in March. They are scheduled for another friendly against Kyrgyztan on November 9 before plunging into action in the Suzuki Cup starting November 19.
The Azkals were drawn into Group A of the Suzuki Cup along with Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. The matches are scheduled to be held at the Philippine Sports Stadium.
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