The Uzbekistan national team, actively preparing for the 2026 World Cup which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will play a friendly match within the FIFA international break against two-time world champions — Uruguay.
Currently, many international sports outlets, including Soccer365, have analyzed both teams’ recent performances and predicted the possible outcome of the match.
Cannavaro started with a victory
Under Fabio Cannavaro, Uzbekistan’s national team played their first match and defeated Kuwait 2–0. If Otabek Shukurov had converted his penalty, the score could have been larger.
Uzbekistan has not lost for almost 11 months — their unbeaten streak has now reached 11 matches. Over the last two years, the team suffered only one defeat — in November 2024, when they lost to Qatar after conceding a decisive goal in the 102nd minute.
Changes and losses in the squad
The biggest loss for the team is Abbosbek Fayzullaev, one of the main attacking players, who left the training camp due to injury. Experienced defender Farrukh Sayfiev and midfielder Odiljon Hamrobekov were also released from the team because of injuries.
In addition, Cannavaro decided to release several players who had been called up earlier and instead included Ruslan Jiyanov and Husain Norchaev in the squad.
Uzbekistan’s strength — solid defense
Before the match against Uruguay, Uzbekistan has managed to keep three consecutive clean sheets. In total, the team has not conceded a goal in 8 out of its last 11 matches.
It is also worth noting that Uzbekistan scores in almost every match — in only two of their last 13 games have opponents managed to keep a clean sheet. In the friendly against Jordan, Uzbekistan failed to score, but the goalless draw against the UAE secured their qualification for the World Cup. Since then, the team has scored in six consecutive matches.
Experts’ prediction
According to Soccer365, the upcoming friendly match will end in a 1–1 draw.
The friendly between Uzbekistan and Uruguay, both participants of the upcoming World Cup, will take place on October 13 in Malaysia and will start at 17:45 Tashkent time.
Analysts believe that this match will serve as not only a serious test for Cannavaro’s team, but also as an important opportunity to measure their strength on the international stage ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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