Tashkent: Uzbekistan head coach Timur Kapadze and his Saudi Arabia counterpart Saad al Shehri expect nothing less than an intense battle when their teams face off in the AFC U23 Asia Uzbekistan 2022 final on Sunday.
Uzbekistan are on the verge of becoming the first team to lift the continental trophy for a second time while Saudi Arabia are bidding to win it for the first time after twice finishing runners-up, setting the stage for a classic at the Bunyodkor Stadium.
“We are really happy to be in the final. Each step of the competition has been tough for us, but we’ve reached the final and we hope to lift the trophy tomorrow.
“There are a lot of external worries, but now is not the time to think about it. Both teams will be playing in the same conditions but we’ve been preparing well and we will show our game tomorrow. We will fight to win,” said Kapadze.
There is a lot of history between the teams, with Saudi Arabia defeating then titleholders Uzbekistan 1-0 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup semifinals in 2020, a defeat which ultimately cost the Central Asian side a Tokyo Olympics berth.
They were also pitted together in qualifying for this year’s edition, where Uzbekistan played for exposure with the match ending 2-2. They recently met in a friendly tournament in Dubai, with Saudi Arabia winning 2-0.
“Saudi Arabia are a really good team, and showing good results. Both teams have spent a lot of energy to reach the final. Of course we’ve studied them. Compared to the team two years ago, there’s been a lot of changes and they have improved in every position.
“Each match has given us experience and shown us where we need to improve. We know how strong they are but we also know their weaknesses. We will use all that we’ve learned in tomorrow’s match,” Kapadze added.
Saudi Arabia will go into the final having not conceded a single goal but Kapadze is confident his team will end that streak.
“In terms of them not conceding a single goal, it is a motivation for my team to find a way to break them, and we will show it tomorrow.
“Every team will want to score more goals in every game but the main thing is to have a balance between attack and defence, as one mistake can be costly. The main thing is to win the game.”
Saudi Arabia’s Al Shehri finds himself in a familiar situation, having led the young Green Falcons to the final two years ago, only to lose out to Korea Republic.
The 42-year-old tactician, however, is confident Saudi Arabia’s wait to lift the trophy will end on Sunday.
“I am very proud of my team for reaching the final,” said Al Shehri. “It’s my second time in the final and I hope we play a good game and go back home with the trophy.
“We hope to continue with this concentration and good luck. This is the final, and anything can happen in the final. They could score tomorrow but hopefully we will have a good reaction, and we’re preparing ourselves for all situations.
“This generation is different from the last. We only just started preparing this team in the last six months, and now we’re in the final, and it’s really good for us. We’re thinking more of the future. It’s important for us to have a good generation and be in the semifinals or finals (of competitions), this is what we want for our Saudi football.”
Given their previous encounters, Al Shehri said there will be no secrets between the two teams and urged his players to savour the experience of playing in a packed Bunyodkor Stadium.
“Uzbekistan are a strong team, they have a good style of play, but we’re ready. They’ve been preparing this team for a long time. We’ve played against Uzbekistan twice, they understand us and we also know a lot about them."
“We hope that with good tactics and mentality, we can win the game. It’s important for us that we enjoy the game.
“We’ve come here with pressure, because we want to make our people and country happy. But it (pressure) will be good for us, because this means the players need to be more concentrated, run and fight more.” -- AFC
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