Nepal’s Japanese coach Gyotoku Koji on Thursday announced a 36-member preliminary squad for their AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifier match against Philippines. 

Koji added 13 players to the list of 23 members who were part of the national team that won the AFC Solidarity Cup in November last year. The closed camp will kick off from Sunday with Manang Marshyangdi Players to join the training after competing in the Sk Kamal International Cup in Bangladesh later this month, informed the All Nepal Football Association.

Nepal is scheduled to play away to Philippines in the first match on March 28 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. Among those to get first call up to the national team training include forward Yubaraj Khadka, midfieders Rabi Paswan and Bishwo Adhikari, and defenders Bimal Pandey and Bimal Basnet. Goalkeeper Alan

Neupane and midfieder Hemanta Thapa Magar were the duo who had previously summoned for the national side but are yet don the national team jersey.

Along with Philippines, Nepal are drawn with Tajikistan and Yemen in Group ‘F’ of the final qualifying round. The 24-team qualifier, divided into six pools, offers 12 berths for the finals scheduled for January 5, 2019  kickoff in the UAE. The 12 teams from the qualifier will join the defending champions Australia, China, Iraq, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan and hosts UAE in the finals. The qualifier will be played on home and away format. 

Nepal, who had crashed out from the first round of the joint 2018 Fifa World Cup and AFC Asian Cup, were granted the berth in the qualifier in place of Guam, who withdrew from the event. 

Despite failing to earn their place in the final round of the Qualifiers, AFC gave Nepal a second chance following their victory in the AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia. Nepal had clinched the trophy by defeating Macau 1-0 in final in Kuching.

Preliminary Squad

Goalkeepers: Bikesh Kuthu, Kiran Kumar Limbu, Bishal Shrestha, Alan Neupane

Defenders: Rabin Shrestha, Biraj Maharjan, Ananta Tamang, Deepak Gurung, Aditya Chaudhary, Kamal Shrestha, Devendra Tamang, Ranjit Dhimal, Bimal Pandey, Jitendra Karki, Man Bahadur Tamang, Dinesh Rajbanshi, Rohit Chand, Bimal Basnet

Midfielders: Bishal Rai, Heman Gurung, Bikram Lama, Anjan Bista, Sujal Shrestha, Suman Lama, Rajendra Rawal, Rabi Paswan, Bishow Adhikari, Sunil Bal, Hemanta Thapa Magar

Forward: Bimal Gharti Magar, Ranjan Bista, Anil Gurung, Nawayug Shrestha, Bharat Khawas, Karna Limbu, Yubaraj Khadka