TASHKENT – When Uzbekistan take on Saudi Arabia at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent in their opening Group A encounter, they will be taking on a nation that has taken part in the last three World Cups and is regarded as one of the powerhouses of the game in Asia.
That the central Asians are expected in many quarters to win the game shows just how far the Uzbeks, who have never qualified for a World Cup finals, have come in last 12 months. It also shows that the Saudis are not the force they once were, something that became clear in 2004, when they were knocked out of the Asian Cup in July at the Group stage and then failed to retain their Gulf Cup at the end of a forgettable year for the ‘sons of the desert’.
Uzbekistan, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals of the continental championship for the first time and then went on to win their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Iraq, many people’s pick for the group winners’ spot in the Final Round of Asian Qualifiers.
On their way to the last eight of the Asian Cup, Uzbekistan beat the Saudis 1-0, a win which not only helped the central Asian’s qualify for the knockout round but also erased the painful memory of a 5-0 thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Saudis in the 2000 Asian Cup.
A similar scoreline for either side in Tashkent on Wednesday is highly unlikely, although few observers are sticking their neck on the line in terms of picking a winner given the fact that the game will be played in near-freezing conditions and takes place during the Uzbekistan close season when players are likely to be a ring-rusty.
The football season in Uzbekistan usually starts in mid-March, and it Uzbekistan clubs and the national team have tended to perform below par in games at this time of year. This was certainly the case last February when the central Asians needed a late goal to rescue a point from their World Cup qualifier against Iraq in Tashkent.
That point – and the 2-1 win over the same side in Amman in the return fixture, put Uzbekistan in the Final Round of qualifiers and the chance to play Asia’s fourth-ranked team for the second time in eight months.
Uzbekistan’s hero in the Asian Cup meeting between the two in China was Alexander Geynrikh but the striker will be unable to repeat the feat on Wednesday because he is suspended following yellow cards in the qualifying campaign.
Hans Jurgen Gede, the newly-appointed Uzbekistan coach, may not be able to call on the young striker but the German does have Dynamo Kiev striker Maksim Shatskikh at his disposal. The striker missed the Asian Cup because of club duties but is fit and ready to play up front for Uzbekistan, most probably alongside Vladmir Shiselov. Also in the squad are the Lokomotive trio of Vladimir Maminov, Oleg Pashinin and Alexey Polyakov.
“For me, playing in the World Cup finals is one of the biggest dreams of my life,” Maminov said on the eve of the game.
“I really feel I can achieve my dream this time round.”
Uzbekistan, playing for the third time in the Final Round of World Cup qualifiers, held two weeks training camp in UAE prior to the game and held a four-day training camp in Tashkent behind closed doors – a very rare occurrence in Uzbek football – to try out new tactics.
“In my opinion, we had the longest preparatory training in the history of the Uzbekistan national team before this game,” explained Andrey Fyodorov.
“I rate our current condition at four on a five-point scale and I guess we will be at five out of five for the game. I know this is my last chance to qualify into the World Cup finals and, at the age of 34, I want this dream to come true.”
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, arrived in Tashkent on Sunday afternoon after games in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - edging them 3-0 and 1-0 respectively - and a training camp in Istanbul, Turkey where they drew 0-0 with Hungary.
The Saudis are also under a new coach – Argentine Gabriel Calderon taking over from Gerard van der Lem, who was fired after the Asian Cup – and will be expected to be as miserly in defence on Wednesday as they were throughout their unbeaten qualifying campaign.
A draw would suit the Saudis, for whom the 32-year-old veteran Al Hilal striker Sami Al Jaber may make a return to the national team after supposedly hanging up his international boots.
The match kicks off at 15.45hrs local time.
That the central Asians are expected in many quarters to win the game shows just how far the Uzbeks, who have never qualified for a World Cup finals, have come in last 12 months. It also shows that the Saudis are not the force they once were, something that became clear in 2004, when they were knocked out of the Asian Cup in July at the Group stage and then failed to retain their Gulf Cup at the end of a forgettable year for the ‘sons of the desert’.
Uzbekistan, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals of the continental championship for the first time and then went on to win their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Iraq, many people’s pick for the group winners’ spot in the Final Round of Asian Qualifiers.
On their way to the last eight of the Asian Cup, Uzbekistan beat the Saudis 1-0, a win which not only helped the central Asian’s qualify for the knockout round but also erased the painful memory of a 5-0 thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Saudis in the 2000 Asian Cup.
A similar scoreline for either side in Tashkent on Wednesday is highly unlikely, although few observers are sticking their neck on the line in terms of picking a winner given the fact that the game will be played in near-freezing conditions and takes place during the Uzbekistan close season when players are likely to be a ring-rusty.
The football season in Uzbekistan usually starts in mid-March, and it Uzbekistan clubs and the national team have tended to perform below par in games at this time of year. This was certainly the case last February when the central Asians needed a late goal to rescue a point from their World Cup qualifier against Iraq in Tashkent.
That point – and the 2-1 win over the same side in Amman in the return fixture, put Uzbekistan in the Final Round of qualifiers and the chance to play Asia’s fourth-ranked team for the second time in eight months.
Uzbekistan’s hero in the Asian Cup meeting between the two in China was Alexander Geynrikh but the striker will be unable to repeat the feat on Wednesday because he is suspended following yellow cards in the qualifying campaign.
Hans Jurgen Gede, the newly-appointed Uzbekistan coach, may not be able to call on the young striker but the German does have Dynamo Kiev striker Maksim Shatskikh at his disposal. The striker missed the Asian Cup because of club duties but is fit and ready to play up front for Uzbekistan, most probably alongside Vladmir Shiselov. Also in the squad are the Lokomotive trio of Vladimir Maminov, Oleg Pashinin and Alexey Polyakov.
“For me, playing in the World Cup finals is one of the biggest dreams of my life,” Maminov said on the eve of the game.
“I really feel I can achieve my dream this time round.”
Uzbekistan, playing for the third time in the Final Round of World Cup qualifiers, held two weeks training camp in UAE prior to the game and held a four-day training camp in Tashkent behind closed doors – a very rare occurrence in Uzbek football – to try out new tactics.
“In my opinion, we had the longest preparatory training in the history of the Uzbekistan national team before this game,” explained Andrey Fyodorov.
“I rate our current condition at four on a five-point scale and I guess we will be at five out of five for the game. I know this is my last chance to qualify into the World Cup finals and, at the age of 34, I want this dream to come true.”
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, arrived in Tashkent on Sunday afternoon after games in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - edging them 3-0 and 1-0 respectively - and a training camp in Istanbul, Turkey where they drew 0-0 with Hungary.
The Saudis are also under a new coach – Argentine Gabriel Calderon taking over from Gerard van der Lem, who was fired after the Asian Cup – and will be expected to be as miserly in defence on Wednesday as they were throughout their unbeaten qualifying campaign.
A draw would suit the Saudis, for whom the 32-year-old veteran Al Hilal striker Sami Al Jaber may make a return to the national team after supposedly hanging up his international boots.
The match kicks off at 15.45hrs local time.
