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The third match of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup comes from Group B and sees central Asia’s Uzbekistan take on Korea DPR at Stadium Australia. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6.00pm (AEDT).
Having been drawn alongside China and Saudi Arabia in arguably the ‘group of death’, both sides will be looking to get their Cup run off to a winning start in Sydney.
The Uzbek’s can claim favouritism (unless of course you’re taking odds from a North Korean bookie) having beaten their opponents twice in the qualification process for the 2014 World Cup.
Despite facing a tough draw, Uzbekistan are expecting to progress to the knock-out stages of the competition.
“We hope we’re going to qualify from the group and we want to go to the final and then we will see who is the best,” defender Vitaliy Denisov recently told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Just how far they go in the competition will depend on captain Server Djeparov who provides the creative spark from midfield and will ghost in behind the striker while Odil Ahmedov who plays for Russian club, Krasnodar, will be another for the North Koreans to watch out for.
Coach Mirdjalal Kasimov has left no stone unturned in preparation for the Asian Cup with his side losing just once, scoring 13 goals and conceding only four goals in 10 games and they start the competition as the highest ranked team in the group.
North Korea, on the other hand has had a disjointed preparation, playing only six games with mixed results. Perhaps most concerning is their two wins were against Guam (5-1) and Hong Kong (2-1) in the EAFF East Asian Cup qualifiers in November.
Jo Tong-sop and his side only arrived in Sydney this week, and having trained in the sweltering Sydney heat during the week the North Koreans will be hoping for cooler weather come Saturday evening.
A disciplined side that like to play from defence and known for their frugal defending, North Korea’s chances for a result against the Uzbek’s will harbour on striker Pak Kwang-ryong with midfield support from former Young Asian Player of the Year, Jong Il-gwan.
Opening group matches often resemble a game of chess, with teams doing everything they can not to lose but if either of these sides are to progress from the group stages, three points will be crucial so the winner will be the team that can cut the shackles. There won’t be much in this one so get involved and join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6.00pm (AEDT).
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