* PRE-MATCH PREDICTIONS
In the first leg, the Philippines surprised everyone by putting up a strong performance against Indonesia. They attacked strongly, scored the first goal and got a draw at home. Having to play on artificial turf was part of the reason why the Indonesian team had difficulties. In that FIFA Days series, they were not as strong as they are now when they lost to Iraq with a heavy score of 1-5.
The Indonesian team (red shirt) drew with the Philippines in the first leg.
But this time, things are very different. The Indonesian team will return to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, playing in front of nearly 80,000 home fans. This will be a great source of motivation for the home team and a huge pressure for the away team. In terms of force, the Indonesian team is also much more complete with a squad of extremely high-quality naturalized players, spread across all three lines.
They are Justin Hubner (center back, Cerezo Osaka Club - Japan), Nathan Tjoe-A-On (winger, SC Heerenveen - Netherlands), Thom Haye (central midfielder, SC Heerenveen - Netherlands), Ragnar Oratmangoen (striker, Fortuna Sittard - Netherlands). These players, along with domestic players such as Pratama Arhan, Asnawi Mangkualam, Witan Sulaeman, Egy Maulana or Maselino Ferdinan, have become more cohesive and compatible with each other. This is demonstrated through the two victories over the Vietnamese team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup campaign (reaching the quarterfinals).
The home team Indonesia has the right to decide the ticket to the next round.
The Philippines team also upgraded its squad with many naturalized players such as Patrick Reichelt (German), Zico Bailey, Alex Monis (American), Dylan Demuynck (Belgian). However, the quality cannot be compared to the naturalized Indonesian players. They only play in the Malaysian National Championship, the US First Division, MLS Next Pro (B-team tournament), and the Belgian Second Division. Moreover, they have not had much time to practice and compete together.
At this time, the Philippines team no longer has a goal in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, so in terms of desire, the team from the archipelago is also superior to its opponent. Therefore, if coach Tom Saintfiet's team leaves Gelora Bung Karno with at least 1 point, it can be considered a "miracle". And when the miracle happens, the motivation for the Vietnam team to fight Iraq will be much greater.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/world-cup-2026-indonesia-0-0-philippines-cho-doi-bat-ngo-tai-chao-lua-gelora-bung-karno-185240611114248763.htm
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