DOHA: Uzbekistan head coach Timur Kapadze brushed aside the loss of Abdukodir Khusanov, Hojimat Erkinov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev from his squad for Friday’s AFC U23 Asian Cup final with Japan at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, confident he has enough depth to compensate for their absence.
The trio rejoined their clubs earlier this week after Uzbekistan secured their first-ever qualification for the Olympic Games with their semi-final victory over Indonesia, but Kapadze believes his team can still succeed despite their departure.
“We don’t only have 11 players, we have 23 players,” he said. “Yes, those players have returned to their clubs and they gave us extra strength but we have other players who are ready to play tomorrow.
“I don’t think it’s a big problem. We will do our best on our way to achieving our mission.”
Kapadze’s goal is to add the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 title to the one won in 2018, when Uzbekistan claimed the trophy for the first time with victory over Vietnam, and a win against Japan would see the Central Asians become the first nation to lift the trophy twice.
The two countries have history at the competition, with Kapadze in charge of Uzbekistan when they won 2-0 against a Japan side helmed by current coach Go Oiwa in the semi-finals of the 2022 edition in Tashkent.
The same two tacticians go head-to-head again on Friday, this time with the title at stake, and Kapadze is under no illusions regarding the challenge his players are facing. (AFC)
