Singapore in the way as Uzbekistan bid to stay on track
The two sides met in Singapore on Matchday Four with Uzbekistan emerging 3-1 winners. Odil Ahmedov’s early opener was cancelled out by Singapore’s Ikhsan Fandi just before the break. Eldor Shomurodov’s second-half brace settled matters for the Uzbeks.
Coach Vadim Abramov’s men sit second in Group D with nine points, five behinds Saudi Arabia but having played a game less. Wins in their next two games against Singapore and Yemen are crucial if they are to go into the final matchday clash against Saudi Arabia with a chance of taking the top spot.
Meanwhile Singapore go into their seventh game having collected seven points, but sitting fourth behind Palestine on head-to-head. The top spot is already beyond their reach, but Singapore’s immediate task will be to bounce back from a disappointing 4-0 thumping by Palestine four days earlier.
A particular worry for coach Tatsuma Yoshida will be the defence as the Singaporeans have the leakiest backline in the group alongside Yemen, both having conceded 14 goals so far, a fact that could prove costly should things come down to goal-difference deciding teams qualifying to the next stage.
Uzbekistan v Singapore
Venue: King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Kick-off: Monday, 21:00 hours (UTC+3)
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