Will Philippines bounce back against Qatar?

MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The Philippines fell short of upsetting Iran at the start of the fourth window, but they have a golden chance to bounce back against Qatar back home.

With chips on their collective shoulders and a point to prove, the Filipinos will take on a Qatari quintet that also suffered a loss on Day 1 of the Asian Qualifiers second round. Both squads are looking to recover lost ground, but with Team Pilipinas playing at home, they should have a slight edge.

Key matchup:

Many will remember Ngombo from his high flying days for Qatar in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2010 or Al Rayyan in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2011, but they may also remember him as one of the players deemed ineligible to play in the FIBA Asia Cup 2011. The 34-year-old wingman is back on the national team roster as their naturalized player and was their leading scorer against Australia in their previous match. Tasked to slow him down will be Gabe Norwood, who is Team Pilipinas's own defensive specialist. Norwood has the tools to stick with Ngombo, but the explosive, Qatari wingman remains a potential threat to the Filipinos' plans of getting a win on their home floor.

X-factor:

One potential ace up the sleeve of Philippines head coach Yeng Guiao, however, is Filipino-American Stanley Pringle, who is expected to replace Christian Standhardinger as the team's naturalized player for their second assignment of the second round. Pringle debuted for the national team in the Asian Games 2018, and he should be a major catalyst of their offensive execution on Monday. The PBA star floor general is well-known for his burst of speed, shooting and ability to finish strong around the basket, which means Qatar's backcourt will have their hands full trying to keep in step with him.

Philippines outlook:

The Filipinos will likely have a rejigged roster ready to face Al Annabi at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on 17 September, especially with Japeth Aguilar and Matthew Wright already having served their 1-game suspensions. Expect Aguilar to take Standhardinger's spot in the frontline, while Wright will possibly replace Allein Malicsi as one of the wingmen. Overall, the Philippines should have a deeper roster when they play Qatar, and that means their chances of snapping their two-game slide will increase. Of course, much of it will still boil down to execution, and without their fans filling up the Coliseum's stands, it'll be interesting to see how Team Pilipinas will adjust.

Qatar outlook:

The Qataris were not favored in their failed attempt to derail Australia a couple of days ago, and they will remain as the underdogs here against a Philippine team hungry for victory. Qatar will be in desperation mode, though, since their 2-win, 5-loss slate has put them on the edge of getting eliminated outright from FIBA Basketball World Cup contention. Ngombo was their only bright spot against the Boomers, so coach Tim Lewis, who knows the Filipino style of play all too well, will need to draw some magic from other sources like Hassan Mohamed, Khalid Suliman Abdi, Yehia Abdel Haleem, Emir Mujkic and Faris Avdic.

FIBA