Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano and captain Abdullah Iqbal said they were looking forward to the challenge as the Shaheens made their final preparations for their FIFA ASEAN Cup opener against Thailand on Friday.
The match, which will begin at 4:00pm (2:00pm PST) on Saturday, will be the first game for the Pakistan men’s football team in an official FIFA tournament with the event offering and opportunity for Solano’s men to compete against teams much higher than them in the FIFA rankings.
“We want to use this opportunity to test ourselves against teams like Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam,” Solano said at the pre-match press conference. “It’s an honour to be here and we know it will be a tough competition.”
Pakistan come into the tournament on a high after winning the Diamond Jubilee International Tournament in the Maldives back in June — their first standalone football tournament title in 74 years. The FIFA ASEAN Cup, though, will offer a sterner test.
“All our opponents will be very tough and they have fantastic players,” said Solano. “Asian football has been getting better and better so it is a big test for us. We are slowly growing, we try to go step by step. We will try to prove ourselves as a national team and see how far we can go in this competition.
For skipper Abdullah, the tournament is an opportunity for the players to step up. “It is a great opportunity for us to compete against teams at another level,” said Abdullah. “We will try to give our best.” Ahead of the press conference, Pakistan held an official training session with the squad having been joined by Azerbaijan-based defender Easah Suliman.