Uzbekistan national team stars — Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullayev, who play for Istanbul Başakşehir, will face a decisive UEFA Conference League playoff second-leg match tonight.
The Istanbul club previously eliminated Bulgaria’s Cherno More and Norway’s Viking from the tournament. However, in the final playoff round, they are up against a strong Romanian side — Universitatea Craiova.
In the first leg held in Turkey, Çağdaş Atan’s men surprisingly lost 1–2. Now everything depends on the second-leg encounter in Romania.
Çağdaş Atan’s comments
«We regret the defeat in the first match. We controlled possession but failed to capitalize. We conceded two goals, and that was the result of our poor play. The second leg will be tough, but our goal is clear — to win and qualify for the next stage», said Atan.
On Fayzullayev
«Abbos has not played in official matches for a long time, so he is still regaining his top form. His readiness improves day by day. Soon he will reach 100% fitness and make a big contribution to the team. I fully trust him», Atan stated.
Turkish football atmosphere
According to the coach, Başakşehir is used to playing under intense fan pressure in Turkey. «Viking» also faced such an environment. The stadiums of Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor are always packed, which boosts the team’s spirit.
Expected lineup
Turkish media report that Eldor Shomurodov will start the match, while Abbosbek Fayzullayev is expected to come on in the second half.
Başakşehir lineup:
Goalkeeper: Volkan Babacan.
Defenders: Onur Bulut, Ousseynou Ba, Jerome Opoku, Christopher Opéri.
Midfielders: Berat Özdemir, Deniz Türüç, Miguel Crespo, Olivier Kemen.
Forwards: Eldor Shomurodov, Nuno da Costa.
The Universitatea Craiova – İstanbul Başakşehir second-leg match will kick off on August 28 at 22:30 Tashkent time.
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