India will look to start afresh after its loss to Australia in the AFC Asian Cup opener when it takes on Uzbekistan at the same venue, the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, here on Thursday.
Igor Stimac’s side pulled off an impressive defensive display in the first half against the Socceroos – before going down 0-2 – and will look to build on that in a more evenly-matched contest this time around.
The Uzbeks, who have been one of the most prominent teams in central Asia in the last few years, are ranked 43 spots below Australia but way higher than the Blue Tigers. They had topped their Asian Cup qualification group and reached the final of the CAFA Nations Cup in June last year.
Srecko Katanec, who led Slovenia to its first European Championship and the World Cup, has made Uzbekistan an extremely difficult-to-beat side over his 28-month stint.
His side has been beaten just thrice in the last two years, and its last defeat against a lower-ranked side was to Georgia (93rd to Uzbekistan’s 84) in November 2021.
However, the team’s biggest loss will be the injury of Eldor Shomurodov, who suffered a leg injury in December last year.
The Cagliari forward, fondly known as the ‘Uzbek Messi’, is the highest-ever goalscorer for his country, but his absence has left Katanec scratching his head for a suitable replacement.
Though Oston Urunov, who usually plays as a left winger, was deployed as the sole striker, Syria, another lower-ranked side, held Uzbekistan to a 0-0 in their Asian Cup opener – the former’s second consecutive draw.
India, on the other hand, will look to change its strategy to allow more attack-minded players to get into the game.
Unlike Australia, which depended heavily on set pieces, Uzbekistan played most of its football through the centre, maintaining a high line and playing long balls.
While Deepak Tangri is expected to remain as a defensive midfielder, after his impressive performance on his senior team debut, Stimac might look to shake things up in the pivot ahead of Tangri with Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte and Suresh Singh fighting for two starting berths.
Mahesh Singh Naorem is expected to play as a No. 10 to create attacks against the run of play, with the physicality of Manvir Singh and the pace of Lallianzuala Chhangte at his disposal on either flank.
“Uzbekistan is technically, a very well-equipped team. They have players playing in the best tiers of Europe, Russia, France and Greece; players with experience, but also with youth and energy,” Stimac told reporters.
“So, we need to be well aware of how compact we need to be, how vocal we need to be, supportive of each other, with a clear idea of how to reach the final third when the chance arises and be effective there.”
The Blue Tigers will have to consider every chance a do-or-die contest in the game since a loss here would dent its hopes of progressing into the knockouts further.
Against Australia, India’s best chance in the first half was an off-target header by Sunil Chhetri, a moment when Australia was trying to settle into the game, and a goal then could have changed the complexion of the game.
For the veteran striker, too, this will be his first game against Uzbekistan, and he will look to make it memorable in front of another Indian-heavy crowd expected at the stadium.
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India and Uzbekistan have met six times before, with the last four contests ending in favour of the latter, while the last draw came over 25 years ago.
With an injury-stricken side, including a recovering Sahal Abdul Samad and two more players after the match against Australia (whom the coach refused to mention), Stimac will look to script history, trying to pull off its first-ever win over the Central Asian side.
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