The Philippines will certainly aim to give the Central Asians a stiff test as it continues to prepare for the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 in November, which it has automatically qualified for as host.
While Rodriguez believes preparations have gone well, he acknowledged that Iran will pose a tough challenge, especially with key striker Katrina Guillou — scorer of four of their 10 Qualifiers goals — sidelined.
“It’s a big challenge for us – they’re the best team in Asia,” said Rodriguez. “We’re going to learn a lot from that match. We know it will be very difficult, but we’re approaching it with great enthusiasm.
“We have tried to train as much as possible in the Philippines over the past month, although players have been joining gradually over the last few weeks. We played two friendly matches in the Philippines, and the rest of our preparation took place in China.
“I don't think there's any one key player but it’s true that Katrina, who couldn’t be with us, brought a lot of experience. She's also a player with a knack for scoring goals,” the Spaniard said.