Troussier brought with him 28 players after crossing out four names during their recent training session on the outskirt of Hanoi. The Portuguese expert is set to eliminate an additional five names before announcing the official lineup in their clash with hosts Philippines.

Though the Philippines are considered the weakest team in Group F, no one can underestimate the hosting team if they don’t want to pay a high price, according to experts.

With 26 players called up for the coming match, coach Michael Weiss still places his trust in naturalized players or Filipino veterans such as Manny Ott, Patrick Reichelt, Mike Ott, Kenshiro Daniels, OJ Porteria or Daisuke Sato. Weiss also added many young faces, including defender Santiago Rublico, a young talent who is playing for U19 Atletico Madrid.

The Philippines have shown their strength through a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in the last five matches. Despite their young age and experience, they lack cohesion due to coming from many different clubs around the world.

In the last four encounters, the Vietnamese team won all against the Philippines, scoring 8 goals and conceding 3 goals.

In Group F, Iraq, Vietnam, and Indonesia are expected to compete for two tickets to the next round, but the Philippines are likely to show surprise.

The game between Vietnam and the Philippines is scheduled to take place on November 16.