With just hours to go until Uzbekistan and Russia meet in Tashkent, here’s what the Russian head coach Valery Karpin, along with retired players and football pundits, think of the hosts.
The last time Russia played at Pakhtakor Stadium was in November 2022. At that time, neither team scored, although both squads were backwards and forwards between the gates.
Now, Uzbekistan’s and Russia’s national teams meet there again today, on 12 November, at 8pm Tashkent time (15:00 GMT). Futbol TV will show the match in Uzbekistan, with state broadcaster Channel One streaming service Okko will be carrying it in Russia.
That 0–0 came before Uzbekistan had ever played at a FIFA World Cup. This summer, Fabio Cannavaro led them into their first one. They came home without a point, but former Russia midfielder Alexander Mostovoy, who followed their campaign, saw what it had done for the team. ‘They raised their profile tremendously,’ he told Sport24.
Cannavaro has his captain, Eldor Shomurodov, back in camp for the rematch. He’ll have to build his defence without Manchester City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov, who is still recovering from his injury.
Further read: Fabio Cannavaro defends Uzbekistan’s World Cup debut
Valery Karpin: A Slovenian comparison
‘I think Uzbekistan have improved. Maybe they’re stronger than Slovenia,’ Karpin said during a pre-match interview on 11 November. He was wary of making a firm comparison with Slovenia or Slovakia, saying he hadn’t seen them recently.
What he saw in Uzbekistan was ‘a more disciplined team’ than the one Russia faced in 2022.
Karpin knows Shomurodov from coaching him at Rostov FC. He credited the striker’s years in Italy with giving him a good grounding and said the İstanbul Başakşehir forward was now fulfilling his potential in Türkiye. ‘He’s performing at a high level,’ Karpin told Sport Express.
Read more: Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov makes debut for İstanbul Başakşehir
Pavel Pogrebnyak: Khusanov leaves a gap
Former Russia striker and the UEFA Super Cup winner Pavel Pogrebnyak focused on where Uzbekistan struggled at the World Cup. They conceded at least three goals in each of their three defeats. This time around, the Uzbek team will play without Khusanov.
‘There are no superstars in the team apart from Khusanov, so a lot depends on his influence in defence,” he said.
Konstantin Genich: Goals at both ends?
Russian broadcaster Konstantin Genich saw a home side would be keen to make a statement. «They’ll be desperate to show that there are good teams in the post-Soviet space,» he said.
Russia’s last match, a 3–3 draw with Nigeria, is part of his reasoning. Russia attacked freely and gave Nigeria chances, and he expected Uzbekistan to find openings of their own.
Room for a draw
Sports media outlet Championat.ru noted that Russia scored 11 goals in their last three games, six of which were against Namibia. Uzbekistan’s October was more uneven, as they beat Syria 4–1, then lost 2–0 to South Korea.
‘A win for Russia looks riskier than their status as favourites suggests,’ the outlet wrote, citing Uzbekistan’s progress and home advantage. The outlet sees Russia winning or drawing in Tashkent, with no more than three goals.
