Gerald Vanenburg: Against The Philippines Not Becoming An Easy Game

Gerald Vanenburg admits that the U-23 Philippines is not an easy opponent for Indonesia U-23 (VOI/Karisa Aurelia Tukan).

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team will undergo the second match of Group A of the 2025 AFF U-23 Cup against the U-23 Philippines. For Gerald Vanenburg as the coach, this match will not be an easy match for his team.

The U-23 Vs Philippines Indonesian National Team match will be presented at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, on Friday, July 18, 2025, at 20.00 WIB. Ahead of this match, the Garuda Nusantara Squad had qualified capital after winning 8-0 in the inaugural match against Brunei Darussalam.

Meanwhile, in the opposing camp, the Philippines is believed to be a strong opponent because they managed to beat Malaysia U-23 with a score of 2-0 in the first match.

Having monitored the Philippine vs Malaysia match and pocketing the pattern of potential opponents' play, Vanenburg said that the match against the Philippines would not be easy.

"I also watched the Philippine match against Malaysia. It was a good match."

"Both teams tried to play well and showed quality. Malaysia lost 0-2, I think they showed that they were a strong team."

"Now we have to prepare for the Philippines. Day after day, we build formations, push for our abilities, and try to win even though we know it won't be easy," Vanenburg said on the Kita Garuda website quoted Friday, July 18, 2025.

Despite what Vanenburg said, the U-23 Indonesian national team will clearly continue this second match with optimism.

Moreover, Indonesia has faced the Philippines four times at the U-23 level where all matches occurred at the SEA Games. The Garuda Muda squad always wins in the meeting.