The Azkals will face their Sri Lankan opponents once again, this time in their home turf.

13,000 fans including a number of celebrities are expected to grace the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex this afternoon to watch the Philippine National Football Team, otherwise known as the “Azkals,” play against Sri Lanka’s Brave Reds for the return leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers group stage playoff.

Azkals Coach Hans Michael Weiss is optimistic that today’s match will favor the national team despite the 1-1 draw result last Wednesday in Colombo.

“Our team has come a long, long way. We have prepared for this for a month and hopefully we can advance to the next round,” he said.

Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo, who is now visible on billboards across EDSA, said the home crowd can expect for a great match tonight.

“We are all excited. We waited for more than eight years before we can play a home game in Manila,” he said.

Borromeo assured the fans that the national team are fit and ready to play, including their star player Phil Younghusband who suffered a minor hamstring injury in Colombo.

“We are very much upbeat, the morale and team spirit is high. We’re gonna give our 100 percent…” he added.