Players have to ready and focused about everything, says Srecko Katanec ahead of AFC Asian Cup game against Syria

Srecko Katanec also shed light on the absence of skipper Eldor Shomurodov.

Uzbekistan will take on Syria in their first encounter of the AFC Asian Cup 2023. The central Asian side will aim to start the campaign on a positive note while Syria will hope to create an upset. Group B is going to be very tough for all the teams as one bad result might be the end of the campaign for them.

Uzbekistan head coach Srecko Katanec and player Jaloliddin Masharipov spoke to the media before the game. Excerpts are here:

Thoughts on the tournament

Uzbekistan’s stand-in captain and former Al Nassr forward Jalollidin Masharipov started off the press conference speaking about the preparation for the tournament. The captain said, “I am very happy to play for the second time in the tournament and all the guys are really happy and excited to start the tournament. We are also happy that our fans have arrived in Qatar.”

On the absence of captain Eldor Shomurodov

Eldor Shomurodov is the star player of this Uzbekistan side. Unfortunately, the Cagliari player, on loan from Jose Mourinho’s Roma, is sidelined from the tournament due to an injury. Speaking on the topic, the tactician said, “Shorma (Shomurudov) is an important player for us. Any team in the world or anyone if they miss any important player, it is difficult. Without Shorma it is difficult and of course we are going to miss him but as a coach I have to do my choices and do the best I can.”

Comparison of squad with 2019

Uzbekistan reached the round of 16 of AFC Asian Cup 2019 but bowed out after suffering a loss in penalties against the Socceroos. Speaking on the topic, Masharipov stated, “In 2019, we had big individual names but this team is more disciplined and currently better as a team.”

Thoughts on Syria

Srecko Katanec went on to share his thoughts about his opponents Syria and mentioned how good they are. Katanec recollected his past experiences and said, “I (We) have played Syria two times before and I don’t know how to explain that they have some fighting spirit. They have some good things and they are a big side. They know everything about us and we know everything about them but in the last two games we saw them having two foreigners in their squad who were not there before. So yes, the players have to be ready and focused about everything.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.