Strong teams have been drawn in our group – Ravshan Haydarov

On January 7, Uzbekistan’s Olympic national team will face Lebanon in the opening round of the AFC Asian Cup. Ahead of the match, head coach Ravshan Haydarov shared his thoughts at a pre-match press conference.

“First of all, we are happy to be participating in this tournament. From an organizational perspective, everything has been excellent. I would like to thank the AFC and the local organizing committee, and I wish all teams the best of luck. We value and respect this competition. Our ranking in this tournament is high, and we have consistently achieved strong results. I believe that we will once again perform well and achieve a good outcome this time.

There are strong teams in our group. We are aware of their experience and capabilities. Despite participating with a young squad, I have confidence in my team. In my conversations with the players, I emphasized that this tournament will serve as an important bridge in their development,” Haydarov said.

For reference, at the tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan’s Olympic national team has been placed in Group C alongside Lebanon, Iran, and South Korea. Uzbekistan will play its opening match against Lebanon on January 7. The subsequent matches are scheduled for January 10 and 13.

It is worth noting that earlier, the final squad of Uzbekistan’s Olympic national team for the Asian Cup was officially announced.