Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
THE national football team are in high spirits ahead of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup qualifiers.
The Wasps will take on Timor Leste in a two-legged qualifier - with the winner joining the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in Group A.
Despite being contested in a home and away format, both legs will be held in the Sultanate with the first on Nov 5th and the second just three days later.
Brunei had only appeared in the tournament proper once – during the inaugural edition back in 1996.
They narrowly missed out after falling 3-2 on aggregate against the same opponents in the last edition in 2018.
Despite the odds stacked against them, national football coach Mario Rivera Campesino is in a confident mood.
“I think that we can do it and we are motivated to get it,” said Campesino in an interview with BruSports News after a training session on Friday.
“The players are feeling the same and are fully motivated to give it their all.
“They are getting better, playing and training well. The team is feeling confident,” he added.
With the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas currently still under renovation, the matches are slated to be held at the Balapan Track & Field instead.
When asked about home advantage, Campesino replied: “It would be a big advantage if we were playing at the national stadium. But there is still a little but not a big one.
“We need the supporters to come because this is important for the players to see the Bruneian people backing them,” concluded the Spaniard.
The final squad will only be determined early next week.
The Wasps are coming off a confidence-boosting 1-0 win over Laos in a friendly game on Sept 27.
