About the "test" in Namangan, the super match that everyone is waiting for, or the confrontation between Babayan and Shatskikh

In the 16th round of the Super League, there is a match described by many as the "game of the year". Namangan's Navbahor receives Pakhtakor. These two names alone do not need much announcement or promotion. Also, on August 10, the central stadium Navbahor will be filled with fans. The rivalry between the top contenders has always been in the spotlight.

The clubs reached the central clash with point losses. Especially the situation in Pakhtakor is more complicated. Because of that, in the last round, they lost to Neftchi with a score of 0:1. Before that, he sensationally left the Uzbekistan Cup. Pakhtakor lost 3:1 in the match against Dinamo, a representative of the pro league in Samarkand, in the 1/8 final stage and left the competition early. Two defeats in a row angered Pakhtakor fans. Head coach Maksim Shatskikh and some players are being criticized.

Of course, Navbahor also lost two valuable points in the previous round. The score was 1:1 in Bekobod against Metallurg. Every point lost in the fight for the championship is sure to pay off later. At the moment, Navbahor is in 1st place in the tournament table with 33 points in 15 games. Pakhtakor is in 3rd place with 31 points having played one less game.

It is not difficult to imagine in advance at what temperature and under what spirit of intolerance the upcoming meeting will take place. It is well known to everyone that Pakhtakor is of special importance in the activity of Navbahor head coach Samvel Babayan. Especially considering that this match is an important match on the way to the championship, Babayan wants to take an important step in the fight for the championship by winning three points in front of the fans of Namangan.

We talked about Pakhtakor, there is no way back for "lions". Head coach Maxim Shatskikh was sent off with a red card for protesting the referee in the match with Neftchi. Shatskikh cannot sit in the coaching staff at the meeting in Namangan. Pakhtakor will again play against one of the leaders of the valley.

The history of matches of both teams is interesting for fans. They met 65 times during the championship. A big advantage is on the side of Pakhtakor. Therefore, Navbahor won 13 times, and Pakhtakor won 40 times. In 12 more matches, the forces were tied. Correspondingly, there is a big difference in the ratio of balls. Namangan team scored 50 goals, while Pakhtakor scored 107 goals.

One more thing: the games for Navbahor against Pakhtakor in recent years are not giving the expected result. Because the last time the Namangan team defeated this opponent in their field was on July 28, 2018. Then score 1:0 flashed on the scoreboard. If you remember, in the first round of this year, in the match in Tashkent, Pakhtakor won - 2:1.

So, will Navbahor be able to end the winless series against Pakhtakor this time? In this regard, they have enough opportunities, the best players are also in Navbahor. Pakhtakor seems to have fallen into a knockout situation after the defeat against Dinamo in the Cup match. Yes, Shatskikh first surrendered to Abramov, then to Levchenko. Now Babayan stands in the way.