Uzbekistan travel to Singapore eyeing a second successive Group D victory

On a night when Uzbekistan excelled throughout, five different goalscorers found the net for the Central Asians as they went some way towards making amends for their shock 2-0 defeat away to Palestine on Matchday One.

Although the win added some much-needed momentum to Uzbekistan’s campaign, head coach Vadim Abramov is refusing to get carried away – insisting instead that there is still plenty of work to be done.

“I’m at such an age that I’m far from euphoric, because it’s only three points and I can see what problems we have in front of us. 5-0 does not reassure me,” he declared. “In the near future we will have rivals of a higher class, so there are still things that bother me.”

Meanwhile, opposite number Tatsuma Yoshida has issued a rallying cry to his Singapore side following their 3-0 loss to Saudi Arabia on Matchday Three.

The reversal, which came after a 2-1 win over Palestine in September, left one-time group leaders Singapore in second place and now needing a positive result to breathe new life into their qualification bid.

Singapore, ranked 69 places below the 88th-ranked Uzbekistan, have faced the Central Asians only twice before, both in 2008 during the World Cup qualifiers. The Lions lost 7-3 at home and 1-0 away in Tashkent.

After seeing their impressive run in the Asian Qualifiers suffer a setback last Thursday, Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida has promised attacking football against a much-fancied Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

"We can play only defence. We can pack 11 players into our penalty box, and restrict opponents to a 1-0 or 2-0 win. But that is not good for us," Yoshida told local media on Tuesday.

"We must learn and improve. If we don't try, we have no chance. But if we try, and find a weakness in the opponents, we may have the chance to win. The most important thing for me is that we try.

"Saudi Arabia were very good all round and we could not find any weaknesses. Uzbekistan will be more direct and we need to play on the ground, mark tightly, press hard and play quick passes forward to look for opportunities."

Uzbekistan reserve goalkeeper Abdumavlon Abduljalilov said the team have improved under Abramov.

"We were more defensive under Hector when everyone in our football community was expecting a more attacking style. The change is very welcomed by everyone, the players feel more free and the spirit has changed."