There will be an attractive match against China – Ravshan Haydarov

Uzbekistan’s Olympic national team will face China in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on January 17. Ahead of the match, Uzbekistan head coach Ravshan Haydarov shared his thoughts at a pre-match press conference.

“We are pleased to have completed our initial task and reached this stage. I congratulate all teams that have advanced to the playoffs. Tomorrow’s match will be the most important game on our path to achieving our goals. We have gone through the recovery process and thoroughly analyzed China’s matches. I believe our team is fully prepared. We have known China for a long time and have faced them in many tournaments. From year to year, their development and squad changes are evident. Their team has reached one of its best periods, with a mature generation now formed. In China, the coaching staff has been working together for quite some time. They are a strong and respectable team. We have studied their strengths and weaknesses and conveyed this information to our players. There will be an attractive match tomorrow,” Haydarov said.

Haydarov also explained that the reason for selecting the U-21 squad for the tournament was the primary focus on players of Olympic age.

The match between the Uzbekistan and China Olympic teams will kick off on January 17 at 16:30 Tashkent time.

For reference, China’s Olympic team advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group D with two draws and one win. Uzbekistan’s Olympic team, meanwhile, topped Group C with two victories and one draw to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

The winner of the match will face the winner of the Vietnam–United Arab Emirates quarterfinal in the semifinals.