Philippines' Phil Younghusband (L) and North Korea's Jong Il-gwan. (Photo : Reuters)
Korea DPR (3-0-0, 9 points) is set to clash with the Philippines Azkals (2-1-0, 6 points) in an AFC 2018 World Cup qualifiers match on Thursday, October 8 at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang.
Chollima is coming off a tough 1-0 road win over Bahrain at the Bahrain National Stadium last month as Sergio Batista's side were not easily folded by the Group H leaders, via Goalsaim.
Rimyongsu striker Jong Il-gwan scored the lone goal at the 42nd minute of the match as both defenses held up to seal the deal for North Korea.
Meanwhile, the Philippines suffered from a 1-5 demolition job by top team Uzbekistan at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan on September 8, as reported by ESPN.
After winning their first two matches of the competitions against Bahrain and Yemen, Thomas Dooley's boys faced the world no. 74 Uzbeks and was quickly demoralized literally at the first minute of the match with a quick goal from midfielder Odil Ahmedov.
The White Wolves went up 4-0 before German-Filipino defensive midfielder Stephan Schröck found the back of the net to put the Azkals on the board.
Team captain Phil Younghusband will again be the focal point of the Philippines attack as he was left as the only striker of the squad after Javier Patiño was injured in their last match.
The predicted result is a 3-1 win for North Korea. Playing at home will be an advantage for manager Kim Chang-bok as the Filipinos' morale is low after their blowout home loss to Uzbekistan.
North Korea starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Ri Myong-guk; Jang Kuk-chol, Kang Kuk-chol, Sim Hyon-jin, Ri Yong-chol; Ro Hak-su, So Hyon-uk, Jong Il-gwan, Ri Chol-myong; Ri Hyok-chol, Pak Kwang-ryong
Philippines starting lineup (3-5-2 formation): Etheridge; Palla, Sato, Ramsay; Woodland, Ott, Bahadoran, Lucena, Steuble; Schröck, Younghusband
