By Tan Boon Piaw SINGAPORE: Tajikistan meet fellow losing semifinalists Syria in the playoff for third/fourth place in the AFC U-17 Championship here at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday before the grand finale between Japan and DPR Korea. After securing their tickets to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea Republic next year, by virtue of having qualified for the last four, both teams looked a pale shadow of themselves on Thursday and lost to eventual finalists Japan and DPR Korea heavily. Debutants Tajikistan’s fine run was ended by DPR Korea 3-0 while Japan beat Syria 2-0 win in the semifinals. With only consolation spots to fight for and the hard work of booking their spots in the FIFA tournament behind them, both coaches have predictably opted to give the reserve players a run-out on Sunday. Although with a mutual understanding of giving the fringe players a chance to impress, both Qodirov and Al Jomaa will surely hope that, one of their players can wrest the coveted Golden Boot award. Four players - Syria duo Mohamd Jaafar and Mohammad Darwish Midou, Tajikistan’s Davrondzhon Tukhtasunov and Japan’s Kota Mizunuma - are currently in the running for the award after scoring four goals each. With all four teams in action on Sunday, the award is still up for grabs. Qodirov is expected to ring several changes to his side, with calamity goalkeeper Mirali Murodov giving way to reserve custodian Farrukh Berdiev. “I have a tired squad. Everyone went flat out in the previous games and finally we felt the toll in the semifinals. It is impossible to recover within two days. For the match against Syria, we will try our best to win, with our fresher players,” said Qudirov. “After achieving the target of qualifying for the world meet, anything extra will be bonus for us. The motivation is still there, but not as much as before the quarterfinals,” Qodirov added. Syria coach Mohamed Al Jomaa was confident his reserves would use the opportunity to the fullest. “I would like to see them give a good performance on Sunday and give me a selection headache when I choose the final team for Korea Republic,” said Al Jomaa. “For me, every game is crucial and we will play for a win.” The third-fourth place playoff kicks off at 1700 hours.