Tashkent: Uzbekistan national team boss Hector Cuper looks set to experiment in the coming weeks, with the Argentine making 10 changes to his squad ahead of a series of June friendlies.
With a match scheduled against Turkey in Antalya on June 2, followed by home fixtures against DPR Korea and Syria the following week, Cuper has made sweeping changes to the side which finished third at March’s China Cup, with 40 per cent of the 25-man squad either recalled or selected for the first time.
Navbahor Namangan midfielder Oston Urunov, 18, is among the most notable inclusions, while 22-year-old full-back Khojiakbar Alijonov’s eight consecutive AFC Champions League starts for Pakhtakor have been rewarded with senior international selection as Uzbekistan build-up towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Bukhara midfielder Doston Ibragimov (pictured below) also earns a senior call-up 30 months after his memorable brace helped Uzbekistan to a 3-2 win over Australia at the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship, while Sardor Mirzayev and Temurkhuja Abdukholikov are among the players to be recalled after missing the March camp.
Mirzayev and Abdukholikov are two of the seven players from Uzbekistan champions PFC Lokomotiv, while nine are drawn from their league rivals Pakhtakor.
Shanghai SIPG star Odil Ahmedov and Russian-based forward Eldor Shomurodov are among the five overseas-based players to earn selection, although fellow marksman Sardor Rashidov is not among them.
Club commitments will rule Dostonbek Tursunov and Ikromjon Alibaev out of the White Wolves’ clash with a star-studded Turkish outfit on June 2, but they will return for the matches against DPR Korea and Syria, both at Tashkent’s Milliy Stadium on June 7 and 11 respectively.
Uzbekistan squad
Goalkeepers: Sanjar QUVVATOV, Javokhir ILYOSOV, Eldor SUYUNOV, Botirali ERGASHEV
Defenders: Egor KRIMETS, Anzur ISMAILOV, Dostonbek TURSONOV, Islom TUKHTAKHUJAEV, Oleg ZOTEEV,nFarrukh SAYFIEV, Akramjon KOMILOV, Davron KHASHIMOV, Khojiakbar ALIJONOV
Midfielders: Odiljon XAMROBEKOV, Odil AHMEDOV,Fozil MUSAEV, Ikromjon ALIBAEV, Oston URUNOV, Jaloliddin MASHARIPOV, Doston IBRAGIMOV, Ruziev KUVONDIK, Sardor MIRZAYEV
Forwards: Eldor SHOMURODOV, Igor SERGEEV, Temurkhuja ABDUKHOLIKOV
Source: the-afc.com