Holtmann, Azkals battle Mongolians

Mongolia is a very, very physical team.

Gerrit Holtmann finally dons the national colors when the Philippine Azkals collide with host Mongolia in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the MFF Football Center at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia on Saturday.

Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. (Manila time) with Holtmann tipped to banner the national booters in their hunt for their first win in this qualifying tournament.

After a scoreless draw against Yemen in their opening game on Wednesday, both teams are seated second in Group B with one point.

Palestine holds the top position with three full points, while the Mongolians have yet to earn a point.

“We are complete now, Gerrit joined us this (Thursday) morning. Everything is good so far (but) it will be very difficult (against Mongolia),” Azkals coach Thomas Dooley said.

“Mongolia is a very, very physical team. They are 100 percent fit and they are running like crazy and they are fighting.”

Although the Philippines is eager to claim pool leadership, beating a defensiveminded Mongolia is not easy.

Ranked as world No. 186, the Mongolians displayed stonewall defense before bowing to a 1-0 decision over the higher-ranked Palestenians.

The last time the Azkals and Mongolia saw action was in 2011, where the booters from Central Asia booked a 2-1 victory in the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualification campaign.

The Nationals, however, won the series with a 3-2 aggregate score and eventually finished third place in the tournament proper.

Known for his offensive firepower with VfL Bochum in Bundesliga, Holtmann is expected to become a threat upfront by joining strikers Bienvenido Marañon, Patrick Reichelt and Kenshiro Daniels.

Dooley said his presence will be a huge morale booster for the squad led by skipper Neil Etheridge, Daisuke Sato, Amani Aguinaldo and youngster Sandro Reyes.