It could be a big two months for the Philippines - a Miss Universe winner in Catriona Gray and now the Azkals will be looking to surprise football fans, but they will be tested as they meet powerhouse South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan.

Ramsay made the call to join the Azkals in 2015 and has since made 27 appearances scoring four goals. The national team made history in March by beating Tajikistan 2-1 to qualify for next month’s tournament.

The former A-League man believes the Philippines won’t be going to the UAE to make up the numbers. Among the Azkals key players are Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and veteran captain Phil Younghusband.

“There won’t be a group in the Asian Cup that’s an easy group,” Ramsay told FTBL.

“Right across Asia, teams are getting stronger and more competitive. There are some tough teams in our group, but football is a funny game, sometimes pressure gets to some teams and hopefully that’ll be the case with the likes of South Korea. We’ll just go there, express ourselves, be confident and we’ll see how far it takes us.

“Phil has been part of the Azkals from the get-go and he’s achieved over 100 caps for the country, so I think there’s no better person to captain the side and hopefully we can make more history together in the Asian Cup.

Philippines prepared for their first ever Asian Cup appearance

“Neil has done very well for himself, he started with Fulham with Mark Schwarzer. He then went to Walsall and then Cardiff where they got promoted. He’s now playing in the Premier League now and a lot of people are following his journey and his career.

“It’s great to see him playing in the Premier League. Someone like that puts Filipino football on the map as a marketing tool as well. Someone with his stature in the team will help us in the near future and long-term as well being a goalkeeper.

“He’s very humble and he’s a great example to show that with hard work and perseverance, you can achieve great things. He was playing in League 2 with Walsall and worked his way up and look at him now.”

The man who is in charge of the Azkals is Sven-Goran Eriksson, who managed England at two World Cups and has won titles in Portugal, Italy and Sweden.

While Eriksson was only appointed in October, Ramsay believes the squad has acclimatised well to his style.

“It’s a massive appointment, it shows the Philippines is taking football seriously,” the winger said.

“Getting someone of his calibre and his experience, he’s won many things in his coaching career. He’s well known throughout the world, so we’re all hoping he can help us as much as he can and by working together, hopefully we can achieve really good things in the future.”