At the press conference held ahead of the AFC Champions League Elite tournament's 6th round match between "Al Ittihad" and "Nasaf," Nasaf’s head coach Ro‘ziqul Berdiyev and team defender Zafarmurod Abdurahmatov answered journalists' questions.
Ro‘ziqul Berdiyev:
— Greetings. We are very familiar with the "Al Ittihad" team. They are a strong team with a lineup full of star players. We fully understand that tomorrow's match will not be easy for us. Our football season has already finished. We prepared for this match over the course of 10 days. Our players are in good spirits, and we are ready for the match.
— Tomorrow you face a tough match against "Al Ittihad." How do you evaluate your chances in this game?
— Only the strongest teams participate in the AFC Champions League Elite tournament. However, in a single match, any team can achieve a positive outcome with good preparation. Tomorrow, we will aim to play in an organized manner and strive to secure a good result. This won’t be easy, but we will try to showcase our football.
— Your current position in the tournament standings does not fully reflect your team’s potential. Nevertheless, a loss tomorrow will eliminate any chance of advancing to the next stage. What are your thoughts on this?
— We have played five matches in this tournament. We faced strong teams such as "Al Ahli" and "Al Hilal." I believe you may have seen these matches — we were able to put up a respectable fight against them. "Al Ittihad" is also among such strong teams. Tomorrow, we will also play with all our strength against them. We fully understand that this match represents our last opportunity in this competition. Although our team did not come with its full roster, we will still give chances to some young players tomorrow. The football season has ended in Uzbekistan, and this match will be our last game of 2025. Therefore, we have directed all our focus on this very encounter.
— You mentioned that you did not bring your full roster. Considering that tomorrow's match is the last opportunity for your team and the strength of the opponent, how do you plan to play with younger players?
— Having young players doesn't mean all of them will be on the field. Our team has a main lineup. We may give an opportunity to some of the young players included in the squad. This will be a valuable experience and an important lesson for them.
Zafarmurod Abdurahmatov:
— Greetings. I think tomorrow's match will be exciting. We have prepared seriously for this encounter. I wish the best of luck to both teams tomorrow.
The "Al Ittihad" vs. "Nasaf" match will begin on December 23 at 11:15 PM Tashkent time. The Uzbek club has not been able to collect any points in the previous five rounds and currently ranks last among the 12 teams.
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