Pakistan is returning to International football after almost nine and a half months with an Asian Cup qualifier 2027 1st leg encounter against Syria on 25th of March 2025 at Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. This is Syria’s home leg game but due to some internal issues in their country they are hosting it in Saudi Arabia, The Pakistan vs Syria contest is happening for the first time in history. Syria has mixed performance in their last 5 matches winning 3 and losing 2. In contrast, Pakistan has struggled by losing all their previous 5.
Pakistan played their last match on 11 June 2024 against Tajikistan in FIFA World Cup qualifiers which they lost 3-0. Syria last appeared against Russia in a friendly which they lost 4-0.
Pakistan vs Syria Team News:
The news about the Syrian football team is that South American diaspora players will not be available due to internal issues, Omar Jehad Al Somah the main striker who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Orobah is also injured and will not play.
On the contrary, Pakistan’s head coach Stephen Constantine has dropped Otis Khan from the squad due to discipline issues. Easah Suliman, the team captain, has also not fully recovered from an ACL injury and will not be part of the match.
Pakistan vs Syria Lineups and Formation:
If we talk about Pakistan vs. Syrian lineups José Lana, the Spanish boss of the Syrian football team, likes to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation. The expected line-up will include Elias Hadaya (Goalkeeper), Thaer Krouma, Ahmad Faqa, Khaled Kourdoghli, Zakaria Hanan, Elmar Abraham, Simon Amin, Ammar Ramadan, Mustafa Abdul Latif, Mahmoud Al-Mawas, and Omar Khribin.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s head coach Stephen Constantine prefers a 5-3-2 formation and the players which he often starts with and will possibly begin to consist of Yousuf Butt (Goalkeeper), Abdullah Iqbal, Rao Umar Hayat, Muhammad Fazal, Momoon Musa, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Alamgir Ghazi, Rahis Nabi, Shayek Dost, Fareedullah Khan, Adeel Younas.
Pakistan vs Syria Key Players:
Pakistan:
Abdullah Iqbal is the backbone of the Pakistan football team and plays in the back five, he also represents Mjällby AIF the top-tier club in Sweden.
Muhammad Fazal is another key player for Pakistan who is a left-back and plays in the top tier of Serbia.
Fareedullah Khan is also a player to look for, he is a defensive striker and plays for Balochistan’s Muslim Chaman Club.
Shayak Dost the left winger is a star in the making, he recently scored four goals for Adalat Farah FC in the Afghanistan Champions League
Syria:
Mahmoud Al-Mawas is the player to watch who is an attacking midfielder and plays in the Iraqi Premier League.
Omar Khribin will be a key for Syria as he will be their main striker, he has scored 13 goals in 15 games playing for Al Wahda in the UAE Pro League.
Mustafa Abdul Latif can also become a threat to Pakistan, is an attacking midfielder who plays in the fourth tier of German football.
Thaer Krouma plays both as a centre-back and a defensive midfielder and he is extremely versatile, he plays for Mumbai City in ISL.
Prediction:
Looking at the current form Syria has won the Intercontinental Cup 2024/25 recently, and struggling Pakistan has badly failed in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026, my prediction for Pakistan vs Syria will be 4-0 in favour of Syria.
Match Details:
Competition: AFC Asian Cup Qualification Group E, Round 1
Date and Time: March 25, 2025 at 11 PM PKT
Venue: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
Team Rankings: Pakistan # 198, Syria # 95
Pakistan Squad:
Yousuf Ijaz Butt, Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit, Adam Najeeb Khan, Rao Muhammad Umar Hayat, Abdullah Iqbal, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Ahmed Shah, Mohammad Fazal, Waqar Ihtisham Baloch, Alamgir Ali Khan Ghazi, Ali Uzair Mahmood Gujjar, Ali Zafar Hazara, Rahis Nabi, Toqeer ul Hassan, Umair Ali, Moin Ahmed, Fareedullah Khan, Harun Hamid, Imran Shahid Kayani, McKeal Aroon Abdullah, Abdul Samad Shahzad Arshad, Shayek Dost, Adeel Younas.
Syrian Squad:
Ahmad Madania, Elias Hadaya, Shaher Al-Shakir, Zakaria Hanan, Ali Al-Reena, Ahmad Faqa, Omar Al-Midani, Khaled Kourdoghli, Moayad Al-Ajan, Thaer Krouma, Elmar Abraham, Simon Amin, Ahmad Al-Ashqar, Mahmoud Al-Aswad, Mahmoud Al-Mawas, Ammar Ramadan, Mustafa Abdul Latif, Mohammed Al-Sulkhadi, Mohammed Al-Halaq, Omar Khribin, Omar Al-Soma, and Mardik Mardikian.
