2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

[MPLouis]

2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Monday 19th May to Friday 30th May 2014 Group A Maldives Palestine Kyrgyzstan Myanmar Group B Turkmenistan Philippines Afghanistan Laos This is the fifth and last AFC Challenge Cup, a competition for Asian Football Confederation members who are deemed 'emerging countries'. Previous winners and runners up: 2006 Tajikistan 4 Sri Lanka 0 2008 India 4 Tajikistan 1 2010 North Korea 1 Turkmenistan 1 2012 North Korea 2 Philippines 1 Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_Challenge_Cup Official site: http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men/afc-challenge-cup.html

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) [TABLE=class: table-main]

[TR=class: center nob-border] [TH=class: first2 tl, colspan: 3]Tomorrow, 19 May[/TH] [TH]1[/TH] [TH]X[/TH] [TH]2[/TH] [TH]B's[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: table-dummyrow] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400497200-1-1-0-0]12:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Palestine - Kyrgyzstan[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.50[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.75[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]6.80[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400515200-1-1-0-0]17:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Maldives - Myanmar[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.80[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.80[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]4.75[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]4[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: center nob-border] [TH=class: first2 tl, colspan: 3]20 May 2014[/TH] [TH]1[/TH] [TH]X[/TH] [TH]2[/TH] [TH]B's[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: table-dummyrow] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400583600-1-1-0-0]12:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Turkmenistan - Laos[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.15[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]7.00[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]15.00[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400601600-1-1-0-0]17:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Philippines - Afghanistan[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.00[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.20[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.75[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Myanmar has appointed Radojko Avramovic in February, and this will be his 1st competitive match for the country, having lead the Singapore national team for 10 successful years (3 ASEAN Cup titles). He wouldn't be too unfamiliar with Myanmar though, having faced them multiple times in various ASEAN tournaments. In a recent friendly with Singapore Lions XII (which Mynamar won 2-1), coach Fandi Ahmad mentioned how "Myanmar is better tactically since Raddy came. They are a more disciplined unit and they will surely improve." I don't agree that Maldives is a clear favourite over Myanmar. However, I wasn't able to find any sites which offers Asian Handicap, hence I would advise a small bet on Draw or Myanmar instead. Draw or Myanmar @ 2.25 (Bet365) 3/10

[kusagwa]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Myanmar has appointed Radojko Avramovic in February, and this will be his 1st competitive match for the country, having lead the Singapore national team for 10 successful years (3 ASEAN Cup titles). He wouldn't be too unfamiliar with Myanmar though, having faced them multiple times in various ASEAN tournaments. In a recent friendly with Singapore Lions XII (which Mynamar won 2-1), coach Fandi Ahmad mentioned how "Myanmar is better tactically since Raddy came. They are a more disciplined unit and they will surely improve." I don't agree that Maldives is a clear favourite over Myanmar. However, I wasn't able to find any sites which offers Asian Handicap, hence I would advise a small bet on Draw or Myanmar instead. Draw or Myanmar @ 2.25 (Bet365) 3/10

AH odds: http://www.oddsportal.com/soccer/asia/afc-challenge-cup-2014/maldives-myanmar-n7avWdga/

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

AH odds: http://www.oddsportal.com/soccer/asia/afc-challenge-cup-2014/maldives-myanmar-n7avWdga/

Thanks! AH Market wasn't out earlier. Since it's out now, I would suggest to take Myanmar +0.75 @ 1.90 (Bet365) instead, if you wish to be more conservative, for 5/10

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Myanmar has appointed Radojko Avramovic in February, and this will be his 1st competitive match for the country, having lead the Singapore national team for 10 successful years (3 ASEAN Cup titles). He wouldn't be too unfamiliar with Myanmar though, having faced them multiple times in various ASEAN tournaments. In a recent friendly with Singapore Lions XII (which Mynamar won 2-1), coach Fandi Ahmad mentioned how "Myanmar is better tactically since Raddy came. They are a more disciplined unit and they will surely improve." I don't agree that Maldives is a clear favourite over Myanmar. However, I wasn't able to find any sites which offers Asian Handicap, hence I would advise a small bet on Draw or Myanmar instead. Draw or Myanmar @ 2.25 (Bet365) 3/10

Myanmar won 3-2, which was pretty surprising, considering they had a player sent off in the 22nd minute. Bet won. :)

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Myanmar won 3-2, which was pretty surprising, considering they had a player sent off in the 22nd minute. Bet won. :)

:clap

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Apologies for the lateness, but got held back at work. Will make this a short one, since kickoff in 30 mins: Turkmenistan vs Laos This is Laos 1st ever international continental tournament, They didn't have a good warmup before this tourney, losing 1-7 to Maldives. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan was a 2-time losing quarter-finalist in this tournament, both times losing to North Korea. They're taking this tournament seriously, with preparations beginning since January & conducting 3 training camps since. I would consider Laos having similar football standards as Cambodia. If you look at Turkmenistan's H2H record against both teams, they beat Cambodia 7-0 in the qualifiers in Mar 13, and defeated Laos 4-2 in a friendly in Oct 12. I forsee Turkmenistan to be fired up for this game, and will take the AH -2. Turkmenistan -2 @ 1.62 (Bet365)

[22pzzl]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) hello, mkmk. any information share with us about next game today? Thx.

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Dammit, PC crashed as I was finishing the article. -_-" Philippines vs Afghanistan Philippines is considered one of the favourites in this tournament. Take a look at their AFC squad: 9 of their players are based in Europe, though their star player, James Younghusband, plays in the local club Loyola Meralco Sparks. With 36 goals in 54 international appearances, Younghusband is the top scorer for the country. Their opponent tonight, Afghanistan, isn't a pushover though, having recently won the 2013 South Asian Football Federation Cup. More than half their team are based overseas, with 9 players participating in the German lower divisions. Both teams qualified as champions in their respective groups. Philippines thrashed Cambodia 8-0 and beat Turkmenistan 1-0, while Afghanistan won 1-0 against Mongolia & Sri Lanka, but drew against Laos 1-1. Now, even though I mentioned Laos is as strong as Cambodia, and Afghanistan can't even beat Laos, bear in mind that their qualifiers were played in Laos, and Afghanistan already qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup when they faced Laos. Philippines will be missing Younghusband and vice-capt/def Rob Gier (both suspended), while Afghanistan will be missing their coach Mohammad Kargar due to a 3-game suspension. When fully-strength, I would expect Philippines to win. However, Philippines will be missing Younghusband and vice-capt/def Rob Gier (both suspended), and they also recently appointed a new coach, Thomas Dooley, which will be his 1st international tournament as a head coach. On the other hand, Afghanistan's coach Mohammad Kargar will miss all the group stage games due to a 3-game suspension, which lead to German Erich Rutemoller drafted on an interim basis. With key players missing and new head coaches, it's hard to predict who might win. I suppose it'll be safer to assume that both teams will be more defensive initially, and hence I'm going for the Under 2.5 market. Under 2.5 @ 1.55 (MarathonBet) 5/10

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Apologies for the lateness, but got held back at work. Will make this a short one, since kickoff in 30 mins: Turkmenistan vs Laos This is Laos 1st ever international continental tournament, They didn't have a good warmup before this tourney, losing 1-7 to Maldives. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan was a 2-time losing quarter-finalist in this tournament, both times losing to North Korea. They're taking this tournament seriously, with preparations beginning since January & conducting 3 training camps since. I would consider Laos having similar football standards as Cambodia. If you look at Turkmenistan's H2H record against both teams, they beat Cambodia 7-0 in the qualifiers in Mar 13, and defeated Laos 4-2 in a friendly in Oct 12. I forsee Turkmenistan to be fired up for this game, and will take the AH -2. Turkmenistan -2 @ 1.62 (Bet365)

Turkmenistan won 5-1. Was fearing the worst when Laos scored the 1st goal on 33rd min, but 2 goals in last 10 mins helped to clear the handicap. Bet won. :D

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Turkmenistan won 5-1. Was fearing the worst when Laos scored the 1st goal on 33rd min, but 2 goals in last 10 mins helped to clear the handicap. Bet won. :D

From what I saw, Laos were a typical East Asian side - small, fast, quite skilful and quite erratic. Turkmenistan were physically stronger and good in the air with a more composed style.

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

From what I saw' date=' Laos were a typical East Asian side - small, fast, quite skilful and quite erratic. Turkmenistan were physically stronger and good in the air with a more composed style.[/quote'] Slight correction: Laos is considered Southeast Asia, and is considered one of the weak sides in the region. The strongest would be Thailand, followed by Indonesia/Malaysia/Singapore and Vietnam. However, none of these countries are considered to be top-tier Asian countries. Case in point: none of the above qualified for the Asian Cup. East Asia comprises of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Japan.

[22pzzl]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) The odds for me is a little bit short. As you mentioned, 2 key players of Philippine will miss this game. I would take Afghanistan on AH +0/0.5 0.99 @188bet.

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Slight correction: Laos is considered Southeast Asia, and is considered one of the weak sides in the region. The strongest would be Thailand, followed by Indonesia/Malaysia/Singapore and Vietnam. However, none of these countries are considered to be top-tier Asian countries. Case in point: none of the above qualified for the Asian Cup. East Asia comprises of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Japan.

:ok Yes, the AFC Challenge Cup is specifically for 'emerging countries', i.e. weaker ones.

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Dammit, PC crashed as I was finishing the article. -_-" Philippines vs Afghanistan Philippines is considered one of the favourites in this tournament. Take a look at their AFC squad: 9 of their players are based in Europe, though their star player, James Younghusband, plays in the local club Loyola Meralco Sparks. With 36 goals in 54 international appearances, Younghusband is the top scorer for the country. Their opponent tonight, Afghanistan, isn't a pushover though, having recently won the 2013 South Asian Football Federation Cup. More than half their team are based overseas, with 9 players participating in the German lower divisions. Both teams qualified as champions in their respective groups. Philippines thrashed Cambodia 8-0 and beat Turkmenistan 1-0, while Afghanistan won 1-0 against Mongolia & Sri Lanka, but drew against Laos 1-1. Now, even though I mentioned Laos is as strong as Cambodia, and Afghanistan can't even beat Laos, bear in mind that their qualifiers were played in Laos, and Afghanistan already qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup when they faced Laos. Philippines will be missing Younghusband and vice-capt/def Rob Gier (both suspended), while Afghanistan will be missing their coach Mohammad Kargar due to a 3-game suspension. When fully-strength, I would expect Philippines to win. However, Philippines will be missing Younghusband and vice-capt/def Rob Gier (both suspended), and they also recently appointed a new coach, Thomas Dooley, which will be his 1st international tournament as a head coach. On the other hand, Afghanistan's coach Mohammad Kargar will miss all the group stage games due to a 3-game suspension, which lead to German Erich Rutemoller drafted on an interim basis. With key players missing and new head coaches, it's hard to predict who might win. I suppose it'll be safer to assume that both teams will be more defensive initially, and hence I'm going for the Under 2.5 market. Under 2.5 @ 1.55 (MarathonBet) 5/10

Scoreless draw. Kinda expecting it when it was delayed by 1 hour due to bad weather conditions. Could have gone either way in the final minutes. Bet won. :D

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) [TABLE=class: table-main]

[TR=class: center nob-border] [TH=class: first2 tl, colspan: 3]Today, 21 May [/TH] [TH]1[/TH] [TH]X[/TH] [TH]2[/TH] [TH]B's[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: table-dummyrow] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400670000-1-1-0-0]11:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Myanmar - Palestine[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]4.26[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.46[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.75[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]7[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400688000-1-1-0-0]16:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Kyrgyzstan - Maldives[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.26[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.15[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.02[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]3[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Quick predictions, as I forsee a busy day ahead for me: Myanmar - Palestine Myanmar players should be exhausted after playing with 10men for nearly 70 minutes & squeaking out a 3-2 victory over host Maldives. Palestine didn't have it easy either, scoring the winner on the 92nd minute in the late-afternoon 4pm kickoff match. I feel that the Monday games will take more of a toll on the Myanmar players, hence will be going for a Palestine win instead. Under 2.5 have better odds, but it's likely for both teams to score, hence I'm going for the safer option Palestine win @ 1.82 (MarathonBet) - 4/10 Kyrgyzstan - Maldives Both teams lost their 1st game, hence this will be extremely crucial if they wish to progress to the knockout stages. Kyrgyzstan's friendlies record haven't particularly impressed, with only 2 wins (Bahrain & Kuwait) in last 12 games since June last year, so I don't feel that they should be a favourite against the host nation. There isn't any AH +0.5 at this time, hence I go for Maldives DNB. Over 2.5 is likely too, since both sides need to win, hence an early goal will lead to an open game. However, if there are no goals after half hour, it's likely to go under, hence I would place a lower bet weightage on this. Maldives DNB @ 2.20 (TitanBet) - 5/10 Over 2.5 @ 2.05 (TitanBet) - 3/10

[22pzzl]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Quick predictions, as I forsee a busy day ahead for me: Myanmar - Palestine Myanmar players should be exhausted after playing with 10men for nearly 70 minutes & squeaking out a 3-2 victory over host Maldives. Palestine didn't have it easy either, scoring the winner on the 92nd minute in the late-afternoon 4pm kickoff match. I feel that the Monday games will take more of a toll on the Myanmar players, hence will be going for a Palestine win instead. Under 2.5 have better odds, but it's likely for both teams to score, hence I'm going for the safer option Palestine win @ 1.82 (MarathonBet) - 4/10 Kyrgyzstan - Maldives Both teams lost their 1st game, hence this will be extremely crucial if they wish to progress to the knockout stages. Kyrgyzstan's friendlies record haven't particularly impressed, with only 2 wins (Bahrain & Kuwait) in last 12 games since June last year, so I don't feel that they should be a favourite against the host nation. There isn't any AH +0.5 at this time, hence I go for Maldives DNB. Over 2.5 is likely too, since both sides need to win, hence an early goal will lead to an open game. However, if there are no goals after half hour, it's likely to go under, hence I would place a lower bet weightage on this. Maldives DNB @ 2.20 (TitanBet) - 5/10 Over 2.5 @ 2.05 (TitanBet) - 3/10

Thanks for your post in the past servial games. For the game Kyrgyzstan vs Maldives, I think the game could go either way, both of them want to win this game. I'm considering to take Maldives , because they are host and should be more familiar with the hot weather.

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) [TABLE=class: table-main]

[TR=class: center nob-border] [TH=class: first2 tl, colspan: 3]Tomorrow, 22 May[/TH] [TH]1[/TH] [TH]X[/TH] [TH]2[/TH] [TH]B's[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: table-dummyrow] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400756400-1-1-0-0]12:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Laos - Philippines[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]10.00[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]5.50[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.25[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400774400-1-1-0-0]17:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Afghanistan - Turkmenistan[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]4.35[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.40[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]1.80[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Quick predictions, as I forsee a busy day ahead for me: Palestine win @ 1.82 (MarathonBet) - 4/10 :D Maldives DNB @ 2.20 (TitanBet) - 5/10 :D Over 2.5 @ 2.05 (TitanBet) - 3/10 :(

Could have won the Over 2.5, had either team been clinical in the final few minutes. Sidenote: did anyone saw that match, and was irritated with Maldives wasting time tactics?

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Laos - Philippines Based on H2H, it looks like a close game between the 2 nations. However, Laos hasn't been themselves in this tournament, losing 1-7 to Maldives in the warmup game before being defeated by Turkmenistan 1-5. Meanwhile, Philippines would welcome back 2012 AFC Challenge Cup top scorer Phil Younghusband and defender Rob Gier after serving their suspension. I would be cautious betting Over 3.5 goals though: Philippines will be facing a tough Turkmenistan in their last game, and might conserve their energy if they race to a 3-0 lead. Also, considering Over 3.5 goals best odds are currently 2.1 (MarathonBet), and I feel that Laos will not be scoring, I'll go for the higher AH -2 odds instead. Philippines AH -2 @ 2.34 (MarathonBet) 5/10 Afghanistan - Turkmenistan Despite their 0-0 draw against Philippines, Philippines were missing 2 key players, and both teams were actually facing sea-sickness while traveling just before the match. As for tournament-favourites Turkmenistan, they came back from a goal down to thrash Laos 5-1. I rate Turkmenistan a more prepared & stronger team against Afghanistan (see my previous preview), hence this shall be a simple win bet for them. Turkmenistan win @ 1.87 (MarathonBet) 5/10

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Final Group A games [TABLE=class: table-main]

[TR=class: center nob-border] [TH=class: first2 tl, colspan: 3]Tomorrow, 23 May[/TH] [TH]1[/TH] [TH]X[/TH] [TH]2[/TH] [TH]B's[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: table-dummyrow] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400860800-1-1-0-0]17:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Kyrgyzstan - Myanmar[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.40[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.40[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.70[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: table-time datet t1400860800-1-1-0-0]17:00[/TD] [TD=class: name table-participant, colspan: 2]Maldives - Palestine[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.85[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]3.20[/TD] [TD=class: odds-nowrp]2.40[/TD] [TD=class: center info-value]1[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Philippines AH -2 @ 2.34 (MarathonBet) 5/10 (Philippines won 2-0, no win/lose) Turkmenistan win @ 1.87 (MarathonBet) 5/10 :(

Apologies for the -ve day. Turkmenistan was down 0-2 after 61 minutes, before hitting one back on the 64th min. However, they had 2 players sent off (GK/Capt Nikita Gorbunow & Defender Serdar Annaorazow), and conceded a third in the 86th minute. I'm unable to find the tournament rules for this, but defender Shohrat Soyunov has picked up his 2nd yellow card for the tourney, which means he might be suspended in Turkmenistan last match against Philippines.

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) Tie-breaker in this tournament is based on Goal Difference, then Goals Scored, hence it’s pretty easy to see the qualification via table. None of the Group A teams have secured qualification:

Palestine: Will finish as 1

st

with at least a draw against Maldives. However, they will not qualify if they lose by 1 goal & Myanmar win by 3 goals. Maldives: If they win, they will qualify at 2

nd

at least (Palestine is +3 while Maldives is +1 GD). If they draw, they can only qualify if Myanmar doesn’t win. If they lose, they can only qualify if Kyrgyzstan doesn’t win by a big margin. Myanmar: If they win, they can only qualify if their victory margin is 2 goals greater than Maldives. If they draw, they can only qualify if Maldives lose. Kyrgyzstan: They can only qualify if Maldives lose, and them beating Myanmar, with a 4 goal margin swing.

So the Myanmar - Kyrgyzstan matchup is pretty straightforward: in order to qualify both team need to win, BIG. Hence Total Goals Over 2.5 seems likely. As for the next match, even though neither can afford to lose, but both team have the upper hand in reacting to the other. If Kyrgyzstan is leading big, both teams can play to a draw. If Myanmar is leading, then Maldives will be more desperate for a win. So in-game betting would be a better choice, but for a pre-match bet, since Maldives have a higher need to win + Home Crowd support, I’ll take them on an AH0 handicap. Myanmar - Kyrgyzstan Over 2.5 @ 2.05 (Bet365) 5/10 Maldives AH0 @ 1.80 (MarathonBet) 4/10

[22pzzl]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Apologies for the -ve day. Turkmenistan was down 0-2 after 61 minutes, before hitting one back on the 64th min. However, they had 2 players sent off (GK/Capt Nikita Gorbunow & Defender Serdar Annaorazow), and conceded a third in the 86th minute. I'm unable to find the tournament rules for this, but defender Shohrat Soyunov has picked up his 2nd yellow card for the tourney, which means he might be suspended in Turkmenistan last match against Philippines.

I think you are right, I find below regulations on AFC Offical Internet.

A player who receives two (2) cautions (yellow cards) during the Qualifiers or Finals shall automatically be suspended from the Match following the Match in which he received the second caution.

Detail you could learn from below link: http://www.the-afc.com/en/component/jdownloads/finish/69-afc-challenge-cup/62-afc-challenge-cup-maldives-2014-competitions-regulation.html

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives) All games are shown live on the AFC Hub on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AFCCHAMPIONSLEAGUE

[MPLouis]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Tie-breaker in this tournament is based on Goal Difference, then Goals Scored, hence it’s pretty easy to see the qualification via table. None of the Group A teams have secured qualification:

Palestine: Will finish as 1

st

with at least a draw against Maldives. However, they will not qualify if they lose by 1 goal & Myanmar win by 3 goals. Maldives: If they win, they will qualify at 2

nd

at least (Palestine is +3 while Maldives is +1 GD). If they draw, they can only qualify if Myanmar doesn’t win. If they lose, they can only qualify if Kyrgyzstan doesn’t win by a big margin. Myanmar: If they win, they can only qualify if their victory margin is 2 goals greater than Maldives. If they draw, they can only qualify if Maldives lose. Kyrgyzstan: They can only qualify if Maldives lose, and them beating Myanmar, with a 4 goal margin swing.

So the Myanmar - Kyrgyzstan matchup is pretty straightforward: in order to qualify both team need to win, BIG. Hence Total Goals Over 2.5 seems likely. As for the next match, even though neither can afford to lose, but both team have the upper hand in reacting to the other. If Kyrgyzstan is leading big, both teams can play to a draw. If Myanmar is leading, then Maldives will be more desperate for a win. So in-game betting would be a better choice, but for a pre-match bet, since Maldives have a higher need to win + Home Crowd support, I’ll take them on an AH0 handicap. Myanmar - Kyrgyzstan Over 2.5 @ 2.05 (Bet365) 5/10 Maldives AH0 @ 1.80 (MarathonBet) 4/10

Hi mkmk, I think you might have got it slightly wrong. I've checked on the qualification picture according to the official AFC site and the wiki page. I think I've got this right. The official table has Myanmar ahead of Maldives. I think this is because Myanmar beat Maldives in the first round (head to head results are a factor) ... http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-challenge-2014-cup-schedule-results.html The wiki page shows the tie breaker criteria (which is confirmed on the AFC site) ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_Challenge_Cup#Group_stage (although the table on the wiki page is wrong - Myanmar are ahead of Maldives). So as far as I can see: 1. Palestine have almost qualified, they need a draw today to be certain. But if they lose today, and Myanmar win, then Palestine, Maldives and Myanmar will all have 6 points and the tiebreaker criteria come into play. In head to head results between the three sides, each side will have one win so it comes down to goal difference in these games. Palestine need a draw to guarantee qualification and avoid the possibility of missing out. 2. Maldives need to better Myanmar's result today to stand a chance - so if Myanmar win, Maldives can't qualify. 3. Myanmar qualify if they win. They need to match or better Maldives' result. 4. I think Kyrgyzstan have an outside chance if they beat Myanmar and Maldives lose to Palestine. The official preview of today's games is here - http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-challenge-2014-cup-all-news/28635-hosts-maldives-look-to-topple-leaders-palestine.html This says that Kyrgyzstan are 'unable to advance to the semi-finals', but I think that's wrong. Another source is this site, which shows detailed qualification permutations: http://footballpalestine.blogspot.ie/2014/05/2014-challenge-cup-progression-scenarios.html#more

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

Hi mkmk, I think you might have got it slightly wrong. I've checked on the qualification picture according to the official AFC site and the wiki page. I think I've got this right. The official table has Myanmar ahead of Maldives. I think this is because Myanmar beat Maldives in the first round (head to head results are a factor) ... http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-challenge-2014-cup-schedule-results.html The wiki page shows the tie breaker criteria (which is confirmed on the AFC site) ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AFC_Challenge_Cup#Group_stage (although the table on the wiki page is wrong - Myanmar are ahead of Maldives). So as far as I can see: 1. Palestine have almost qualified, they need a draw today to be certain. But if they lose today, and Myanmar win, then Palestine, Maldives and Myanmar will all have 6 points and the tiebreaker criteria come into play. In head to head results between the three sides, each side will have one win so it comes down to goal difference in these games. Palestine need a draw to guarantee qualification and avoid the possibility of missing out. 2. Maldives need to better Myanmar's result today to stand a chance - so if Myanmar win, Maldives can't qualify. 3. Myanmar qualify if they win. They need to match or better Maldives' result. 4. I think Kyrgyzstan have an outside chance if they beat Myanmar and Maldives lose to Palestine. The official preview of today's games is here - http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-challenge-2014-cup-all-news/28635-hosts-maldives-look-to-topple-leaders-palestine.html This says that Kyrgyzstan are 'unable to advance to the semi-finals', but I think that's wrong. Another source is this site, which shows detailed qualification permutations: http://footballpalestine.blogspot.ie/2014/05/2014-challenge-cup-progression-scenarios.html#more

OH CRAP, you're right. The reason I was confused was due to the phrasing in Wikipedia's page: The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers are in following order:^[4]

[*=1]Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned; [*=1]Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;

I misread it as "Teams are determined by points, then Goal Difference"...missed out on the "tie breakers" wording. Apologies to all for the mistake made. Thank you MPLouis for spotting the error. That's why you're the God Punter in this forum. :) I still stand by the predictions, as Maldives need to win to assure qualification, and Kyrgyzstan needs to score a lot in order to qualify, which could leave gaps in between.

[Guest]

Re: 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Maldives)

1. Palestine have almost qualified, they need a draw today to be certain. But if they lose today, and Myanmar win, then Palestine, Maldives and Myanmar will all have 6 points and the tiebreaker criteria come into play. In head to head results between the three sides, each side will have one win so it comes down to goal difference in these games. Palestine need a draw to guarantee qualification and avoid the possibility of missing out. 2. Maldives need to better Myanmar's result today to stand a chance - so if Myanmar win, Maldives can't qualify. 3. Myanmar qualify if they win. They need to match or better Maldives' result. 4. I think Kyrgyzstan have an outside chance if they beat Myanmar and Maldives lose to Palestine.

Just spotted an error in Point 2 & 3: Maldives will qualify if they defeat Palestine 1-0, even if Myanmar wins. All 3 teams will be tied with 6 points, which leaves to a H2H table:

Palestine: 3 pts, 2 GS, 1 GC, +1 GD Maldives: 3 pts, 3 GS, 3 GC, 0 GD Myanmar: 3 pts, 3 GS, 4 GC, -1 GD

If Maldives win by 2 goals (let's keep it simple: 2-0)

Maldives: 3 pts, 4 GS, 3 GC, +1 GD Palestine: 3 pts, 2 GS, 2 GC, 0 GD Myanmar: 3 pts, 3 GS, 4 GC, -1 GD

If Maldives win by 3 goals (e.g 3-0)

Maldives: 3 pts, 5 GS, 3 GC, +2 GD Myanmar: 3 pts, 3 GS, 4 GC, -1 GD Palestine: 3 pts, 2 GS, 3 GC, -1 GD (due to lesser goal scored)

If it's 4-1, it'll depend on total goals scored since GD and goal scored in H2H table will be the same between Palestine and Myanmar.....now you see why I hate H2H permutations?