Igor Kolyvanov evaluates the prospects of the Russian and Uzbek national teams

12 November 2026, 12:162 min read3

In an interview with the "Sport24" publication, former Russian national team striker and skilled coach Igor Kolyvanov shared his thoughts and expectations ahead of the friendly match between the national teams of Russia and Uzbekistan to be held in Tashkent. According to him, the Russian players must enter the pitch in this match with the sole objective of winning.

Uzbekistan national team's participation in the World Cup and Kolyvanov's assessment

It is reported that the Russian expert has been following the Uzbekistan national team's matches at the World Cup. He emphasized that simply qualifying for such an important tournament is a major achievement, and touched upon the team's strengths and weaknesses.

"Of course, I watched Uzbekistan's matches at the World Cup. To be honest, they didn't show a very confident performance. But for a team that made it to the World Cup, this is a great achievement in itself. The Uzbekistan national team is distinguished by its fighting spirit, and there are players of good quality in the squad. The team fought until the end and tried hard. Perhaps, they lacked the experience and skill to compete on equal terms with strong opponents from Europe," said Igor Kolyvanov.

Parameters of the Russian national team's training camp	Data and details
First friendly match	November 12 in Tashkent against Uzbekistan
Second friendly match	November 17 in Krasnodar against Venezuela
Expert assessment	Igor Kolyvanov (former striker and coach)
Key opinion	"Russia is obliged to beat Uzbekistan; we have enough young and promising players in our squad"

"Russia will win" — Kolyvanov on the upcoming match

Kolyvanov specifically noted that the Russian national team has enough talented and young players, which makes the team competitive. In his opinion, Russia should be superior in every aspect and emerge victorious in the Tashkent match.

"Russia is obliged to beat Uzbekistan. We have a very good team, and there are enough young, promising, and developing players in the squad. We are competitive and should show good football. I think Russia will win," the expert concluded.

As a reminder, as part of the current training camp, the Russian national team will face Uzbekistan in Tashkent on November 12, and will host the Venezuelan national team in Krasnodar on November 17.

In your opinion, how well-founded are the views of the renowned coach, and which team will gain the upper hand in the friendly match in Tashkent? Leave your thoughts in the comments!