The Philippine Azkals will push through with their training in Japan next month after the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF) turned down the team’s request to train there one week before their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying rematch against the Blue Wolves. Team coordinator Patrick Ace Bright said the Azkals will stay in Japan until March 13 before flying to Ulaanbaatar for the March 15 tiff where cold weather – between -2 and -15 degrees Celsius – is expected.

To get acclimatized, Araneta earlier requested the MFF to allow the Filipinos to practice in an artificial pitch there at least one week before the match. But it was rejected, forcing them to consider going to Japan, which is also a good venue to get acclimatized since it is also experiencing winter weather.

By rejecting the Azkals, Mongolia has indicated that it will do everything to gain every advantage to get even with the Philippines which won their first game in Bacolod City, 2-0. To deny the Philippine side to advance, Mongolia must score three more goals than the Azkals.

If the Philippines topple Mongolia in their play-off match, it will join Myanmar, Bangladesh and Palestine in the group stage matches, which will be played in Yangon, Myanmar – and not Bangladesh, according to an AFC report in its website. These nations will comprise the Group A.