Who are Socceroos’ Asian Cup opponents, Uzbekistan, their players to watch and tactics

The Socceroos’ road to the Asian Cup final will once again go through Uzbekistan. NICHOLAS D’URBANO looks at the White Wolves’ major threats and tactics ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

Eldor Shomurodov celebrates a goal for Uzbekistan.

The Asian Cup group stage has come to an end and the Socceroos have learnt their Round of 16 fate.

After Japan came from behind to defeat Uzbekistan - and seal top spot in Group F - the little-known but dangerous west Asian outfit will have to face the reigning champions in the first knock out round.

Nicholas D’Urbano looks into who the White Wolves are and what Graham Arnold’s charges will be in for this Tuesday (AEDT).

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UZBEKISTAN HISTORY?

Uzbekistan are relative new comers to the world of football. After being a part of the Soviet Union until 1991, they didn’t compete as an independent nation until 1992 and experienced success two years later when they won the Asian Games in 1994.

They have been in each edition of the Asian Cup since 1996 but had to wait until 2004 for their first journey beyond the group stage which they have done in each edition since.

Their best result in the Asian Cup came in 2011 when they reached a semi-final but were defeated 6-0 by Australia.

They have never been able to qualify for a FIFA World Cup and missed their chance especially in both 2010 and 2014 during the “golden generation” of Uzbek football which was spearheaded by two-time Asian Footballer of the Year, Server Djeparov.

The Uzbekistan team that faced Japan at the Asian Cup.

ROAD TO QUALIFICATION

Uzbekistan topped the initial round of qualifying for the World Cup which subsequently sealed their spot in the Asian Cup as now both qualification paths for both tournaments work hand-in-hand.

However, 2018 was not a successful year for the Uzbek’s who didn’t win a match until October after the arrival of new coach, Hector Cuper.

WHO IS THE COACH?

Hector Cuper is one of the more accomplished managers in world football. A former manager of European giants, Internazionale and Valencia, Cuper brings a wealth of experience to the table.

After leading Egypt to the World Cup for the first time since 1990, his results in the tournament itself were underwhelming after they failed to progress from the group stage thus eventuating in his dismissal.

He was hired by Uzbekistan in August last year with a scope to take them to their first ever World Cup in 2022.

Uzbekistan's coach Hector Cuper.

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR?

The biggest threat to the Socceroos is free-scoring Eldor Shomurodov, who has found the net in each of the three group games. He took his tally to four goals with a fantastic individual strike against Japan, continuing the striker’s brilliant tournament form.

Currently plying his trade for Rostov in the Russian Premier League, the 23-year-old is a good chance to field some offers from clubs around the globe but also take home the Golden Boot, as he trails Qatar’s Almoez Ali by three goals.

The captain, Odil Ahmedov, is undoubtedly the star player who brings a wealth of experience to the table in the heart of midfield.

During his time at Russian club, Anzhi he won Player of the Year ahead of football legends Samuel Eto’o and Roberto Carlos, which remarkably almost led to a move to English powerhouse Arsenal in 2012.

Currently, he is playing in China for Shanghai SIPG and is known for his ability to hit shots from distance which was shown with his stunning free kick against Oman in the opening group game.

Eldor Shomurodov under pressure from Japan’s defence.

ROAD TO THE ROUND OF 16

The White Wolves kicked off their tournament with a 2-1 win over Oman which saw Shomurodov pop home a last-minute winner in a game where they were dominated by their opponents from the gulf.

Their second group game was relatively straight forward with a 4-0 rout of Turkmenistan. All goals came in the opening half which put them momentarily top of Group F on goal difference heading into the final group game.

Finally, they faced powerhouse Japan, where they hit the lead thanks to a Shomurodov goal but fell apart after the Blue Samurai equalised and fell 2-1, to finish second.

WHAT THREATS DO THEY POSE TACTICALLY?

The biggest threat for Uzbekistan is the Socceroos biggest weakness.

Defensive combined with physical and counter-attacking football has caused problems for Graham Arnold’s men throughout the tournament, evident in the defeat to Jordan.

Palestine tried to play a similar philosophy but lacked the quality to match Australia’s attacking prowess while Syria went for the game due to their dire need for a result and were relatively open defensively.

However, Uzbekistan, are of a greater quality than all three of Australia’s group stage opponents and have players who are in form and hitting their strides at the right time.

Hector Cuper is known for his pragmatic approach which will seek to frustrate the Socceroos and force their rather defensive midfield to attack which would force numbers forward.

As a result, opening up gaps for Shomurodov to expose on the counter and the creativity of Ahmedov will surely create headaches for a Socceroos defence which has not been at its best all tournament.

Defensively, the Uzbek’s have looked very solid and the fleet-footed Australian attack may find themselves struggling to break down the set-up.

Javokhir Sidikov celebrates his goal against Turkmenistan.

HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY

The Socceroos and Uzbekistan have met each-other three times with Australia winning comfortably on all three occasions.

The last meeting was in the Asian Cup semi-final back in 2011 where Australia won 6-0 with goals coming from six different goalscorers.

Australia have never conceded against Uzbekistan while scoring a total of nine goals in three games against the White Wolves.

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Originally published as Who are Socceroos’ Asian Cup opponents, Uzbekistan, their players to watch and tactics