AFC Asian Cup 2023, India vs Uzbekistan: Uzbek weaknesses that Blue Tigers could exploit to win in next match

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India began their AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign with a 0-2 loss against Australia. Starting against their strongest opponents, India played with a defensive approach. They put out an affordable fight against the Asian giants.

However, the loss made their job harder. Now they will have to go for two wins in the 2 group matches they have left to play. That journey will begin with their match against Uzbekistan on January 18.

Uzbekistan are lower than the Socceroos in the FIFA rankings. However, they are still sitting 34 places above India. They also have some amazing players that play abroad. These players can be a threat to India.

Players, like Abbosbek Fayzullaev, and Oston Urunov in the final third and Abdukodir Khusanov in the defense can provide amazing performances. However, even 68th-placed Uzbekistan have their weaknesses that India should be on the lookout for.

The first would be the absence of their best player, Eldor Shomurodov, in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. The 28-year-old plays for the Serie A side Cagliari Calcio. The 'Uzbek Messi’ is also their highest goalscorer.

However, he sustained a metatarsal fracture in mid-December and was left out of the Uzbekistan squad for this tournament. Without their star player leading the attack line, the attacking midfielder Oston Urunov was deployed in that position in their last game.

They produced a good number of opportunities in the final third as they took a total of 14 shots. However, it was all in vain as only 2 of them were on target and none of them went in.

India showed an impressive display of disciplined defensive play in their first match. If they can put up a similar defensive play again, then the White Wolves could be stopped. The Blue Tigers only need to score from their front to win this AFC Asian Cup 2023 match.