Temur Kapadze: "Whoever is in optimal form, whoever can help the team, they are here"

The Uzbekistan national team will play matches against the Kyrgyz Republic on March 20 and Iran on March 25 as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The "white wolves" are currently training in Tashkent ahead of the match against our neighbors.

Timur Kapadze, who took over the team after Srechko Katanets, answered questions from journalists ahead of his first official match with the national team. Please read his thoughts.

- Assalamu alaikum. As you can see, today is our first day. Not all the guys have arrived. There are only two days left for preparation. We plan to see the entire preparation tomorrow evening. Also, everyone is in different situations. Husniddin was a big loss, but in football you have to be ready for anything.

- How is Sherzod Nasrullaev?
- Sherzod Nasrullaev also has an injury. We will see his condition today, tomorrow.

- A new coach has arrived at the coaching staff. What can you say about this?
- It is not a new coach, we worked with him in the Olympic team. He is my assistant and will help me during training.

- Has anyone been sent to observe the match against Iran?
- No one will go separately. Our team knows Iran well. We will also have time to study them.

- The first match against the Kyrgyz Republic was not easy. Do you expect it to be difficult this time too?
- Of course, it will not be easy. There have been no easy victories in any match at this stage. The Kyrgyz Republic is our neighbor and they are well prepared in terms of motivation. They have their own goals. We also play on our own field and will do our best to win.

- Alikulov and Turgunbayev were not called up due to injuries. Were the rest of the legionnaires not invited to the training camp by the decision of the coaching staff?
- The guys in Turkey are due to injuries. The rest were not invited by the decision of the coaching staff. We looked, observed and made a selection. It is impossible to invite everyone to the training camp. Whoever is in optimal shape, whoever can help the team, they are here. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”