Uzbekistan can reach the Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2011 with a victory over the hosts Qatar on Saturday at Al Bayt Stadium.
In their round of 16 clash, Qatar came from behind to defeat Palestine 2-1, while the White Wolves eliminated Thailand by that same score.
Match preview
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On Tuesday, the Maroons suffered their first setback of the competition but, to their credit, kept their composure, levelling their match with Palestine before taking control in the final 45 minutes and scoring the winning goal.
That victory was the first time this side had conceded at the Asian Cup this year, increasing their winning run in this competition to 11 matches.
The goal they conceded versus Palestine was only the second that Tintin Marquez had seen his side allow since a 3-0 triumph over India in November 2023.
They found themselves behind on Tuesday for the first time at this tournament since January 2015 (2-1 loss to Bahrain), though they trailed for fewer than 15 minutes against the Palestinians before finding a way back into that match.
Close games do not seem to bother Qatar, who have been in a number of them lately, winning their last three contests by a single goal.
The Maroons have suffered just one defeat in their last nine matches played on Qatari soil, losing 2-1 versus Jordan earlier this year.
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Another resilient outing by Uzbekistan on Tuesday put them through to the quarter-finals for the fifth time in their last six Asian Cup appearances.
Despite conceding an equaliser a couple of minutes before the hour mark, the Turanians kept their cool and found a winner seven minutes later.
Uzbekistan have conceded a goal or fewer in six successive matches in all competitions while increasing their unbeaten run to 11 games.
Since losing a 3-0 friendly versus the USA last September, Srecko Katanec has seen a significant improvement regarding their attacking quality, with the White Wolves netting multiple times in eight of their previous 11 outings.
The White Wolves have not lost to an Asian opponent since the final of the Central Asian Football Federation (CAFA) Nations Cup, when they were beaten 1-0 by Iran.
They have emerged victorious versus Qatar in each of their previous three meetings against them, failing to concede on all three of those occasions.
Team News
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On Tuesday, Ro-Ro made his first appearance for Qatar since matchday one, with Tarek Salman coming off the bench for a second successive encounter after being in their opening lineup on matchday one as well.
Bassam Al-Rawi and Boualem Khoukhi were the only two Qatari players that maintained their place in the starting 11 on Monday, featuring in a back three alongside Lucas Mendes.
Hassan Al-Haydos quickly levelled their match with Palestine at one with his 39th international goal before Akram Afif notched his 30th for the Maroons, enabling them to advance.
Uzbekistan were missing Igor Sergeyev against Thailand after he suffered an injury in a 1-1 draw versus Australia, which was their final group fixture.
Odiljon Hamrobekov picked up his 50th cap for the White Wolves on Tuesday, Oston Urunov collected his 25th and Jaloliddin Masharipov is one away from 60 appearances with the national team.
Azizbek Turgunboev put Uzbekistan in front against Thailand, though it was Abbosbek Fayzullaev who put home the winner shortly after their opponents levelled the match at one.
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Al-Rawi, Khoukhi, Mendes; Ro-Ro, Hatem, Al-Haydos, Fatehi, Waad; Ali, Afif
Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Khusanov, Eshmurodov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev; Turgunboev, Urunov, Kholmatov, Sayfiev; Masharipov; Fayzullaev
We say: Qatar 1-2 Uzbekistan (extra-time)
The smart money may be on Qatar, given their record in these knockout fixtures, but they have been put under duress quite a bit at this tournament.
That, along with the overall quality and resilience of their opponents, is why we are giving Uzbekistan a slight edge, as they have shown plenty of consistency and poise under pressure.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
Qatar
Tajikistan
China
Lebanon
Australia
Uzbekistan
Syria
India
Iran
UAE
Palestine
Hong Kong
Iraq
Japan
Indonesia
Vietnam
Bahrain
South Korea
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Oman
Kyrgyzstan
