Kapadze chooses to trust local stars for CAFA

At the end of August, football fans are in for another major tournament — the CAFA Nations Cup. Leading national teams from Central Asia will compete on the field. The matches will begin on August 29 and run until September 8. This tournament has already gained attention for its intense and dramatic games. Our national team will also participate, according to championat.asia.

However, there is one aspect of this year’s tournament that forced Kapadze to reconsider his decisions. Since the tournament does not fall on official FIFA dates, Uzbekistan’s national team will have to be composed only of players active in the domestic league.

According to championat.asia's editor-in-chief Narzulla Saidullaev, head coach Timur Kapadze is likely to call up the following players:

Goalkeepers:

• Abduvohid Nematov

• Botirali Ergashov

• Vladimir Nazarov

Defenders:

• Hojiakbar Alijonov

• Zafarmurod Abdirahmatov

• Umar Eshmurodov

• Islam To‘xtaxo‘jaev

• Alibek Davronov

• Muhammadqodir Hamraliev

• Ibrohimhalil Yo‘ldoshev

• Sherzod Nasrullaev

Midfielders:

• Abdurauf Bo‘riyev

• Asadbek Rahimjonov

• Jamshid Iskanderov

• Aziz Turghunboev

• Hojimat Erkinov

• Ruslan Jiyanov

• Oybek Bozorov

• Aziz Holmurodov

Forwards:

• Igor Sergeev

• Bobir Abdikholiqov

• Husain Norchaev

Additional candidates:

• Muhammadrasul Abdumajidov

• Abror Ismoilov

• Jasur Jaloliddinov

• Alisher Odilov

It’s worth noting that the CAFA Nations Cup is held in two groups. Uzbekistan’s national team is in Group A and will play in Tashkent. They will face Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and the experienced Oman team. A fierce competition is expected in this group.

In Group B, Tajikistan will play as the host, facing strong opponents like Iran, Afghanistan, and India. The semi-finals and final matches will also take place in Tashkent.

So what can we expect from Kapadze's decision to rely on local stars? Their potential and heartfelt fight could define the outcome of the tournament. This year’s competition will be a test not only of football skill but also of representing the national flag with honor.

Shuhrat Razzakov

Editor of «ZAMIN.UZ»