Match Preview: Australia vs Uzbekistan | AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™

Kristian Bullock \\ Insights: Jack George 1705919192,1705960337

The Subway Socceroos will be looking to secure top spot in Group B, when they play Uzbekistan on Tuesday night (10:30pm AEDT) at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah.

The green and gold faithful will be optimistic about their chances come Tuesday night, with the Subway Socceroos returning to a ground which has seen more iconic tournament moments, than any other.

Forget Sydney, Melbourne, Kaiserslautern, and Nelspruit, the Al-Janoub has become the venue for Aussies to etch their name into Socceroo folklore.

The side played three matches at the stadium throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with two historic victories over Tunisia and Denmark helping guide Australia through to it's first knockout tie in sixteen years.

A new crop has emerged, and once again three points is the aim, with a strong Uzbekistan side standing in the way of both top spot in Group B, and a potential set of national team records. Never before has a Socceroos team won all three of it's group stage matches at an Asian Cup.

Last time out, against familiar foes Syria, it took a succession of silky nutmegs from both Martin Boyle and Jackson Irvine to help snatch a winning goal in the 59th minute.

Defender Cameron Burgess' inclusion in the starting side saw the Ipswich star complete his meteoric rise in the national ranks, with the former Olyroo captain having only debuted for the senior side just four months ago.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1749205525483663444

Australia's latest opponents, Central Asia's strongest representative Uzbekistan, enter the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ clash also unbeaten, having put three past India and held Syria to a goalless draw.

However, despite the defensive nature of both teams' scorelines so far, expect a fiery affair, with the Uzbeks looking to enact revenge on the side that has ended the tournament dreams on a number of occasions.

Uzbekistan have one of the youngest starting XIs at this Asian Cup, with an average age of 26.3 years. The quality of their team structure has been key to helping such a youthful squad achieve such impressive defensive performances.

The star player is defensive midfielder pivot Abdukodir Khusanov, who plays his club football in France's top flight for RC Lens.

The Socceroos' past match-ups against Uzbekistan have been fruitful, with three wins and one draw having been accumulated over four games. The most famous clash, which took place at the same tournament, in the same city, just 13 years earlier, saw Australia secure a spot in an Asian Cup final, defeating Uzbekistan 6-0.

More recently, in the 2019 edition of the Asian Cup, a penalty shoot-out was required to decide the round of 16 clash, with now captain Maty Ryan proving to be the hero, with two enormous penalty saves.

Having never been beaten by their opponents in white and green, Graham Arnold's squad will be hoping for a perfect performance on Tuesday night, to both top their group and increase the unbeaten run against Uzbekistan.

Current FIFA Rankings

Australia: 25 (7 Places higher than 2019 Asian Cup)

Uzbekistan: 68

Head-to-head

Played: 4
Wins: 3
Draws: 1
Losses: 0

Insights

The Socceroos are yet to lose against Uzbekistan; gaining three wins and one draw across four matches
The Green and Gold have kept six clean sheets in a row - an equal record of games not conceded - something which was previously achieved in 2007-08
If the Socceroos keep a clean sheet against Uzbekistan, it will be the first time in their 102 year history that they keep seven clean sheets in a row - they have a good track record, having never conceded a goal against their upcoming opponents
Australia has also never kept a clean sheet in the first two games of their Asian Cup group stage until now, and by default, have never conceded 0 goals throughout the beginning campaign - another record that could be broken against Uzbekistan

What They Said

Graham Arnold on squad availability

"I can be honest and say Mitchell Duke is out with a hamstring (injury), it'll be one game at a time for him. He had a bit of a scan and he's got a small strain, so he'll be out. So, it's an opportunity for me to have a look at other players as well against good opposition, a great test. At the end of the day, winning is the most important thing and obviously we can do better in that department."

“There'll be a few changes, but I don't think there's much difference in the depth of our squad now, I think that if you make changes, the team will still be strong. I think the most important thing is sometimes the individual quality of backing ourselves."

Arnold on expectations before Uzbekistan clash

“We're going out there to win the game and obviously Uzbekistan are coming along a lot as a country, they invest a lot of money in football, and they're a good side, and we'll be ready for them on Tuesday. It's up to us to get out there with our mindset, our work rate and our commitment and culture that we've got and do a great job for all of us."

“Our goal right from the start was to top the group and with high expectations, if you don't reach for the stars, well, then you'll never achieve anything in life,” he said. It's a great tournament, I'm really excited about it and I'm very proud of the boys first two wins, but it's one game at a time and making sure that we get this one right.

Graham Arnold: There will be a few changes | Press Conference | Australia v Uzbekistan

Maty Ryan on the team's mentality

"We're in an ambitious group, we have a tremendous amount of self belief and self confidence that we can be successful. This tournament is no different. We set the goal long before coming here that we want to win this tournament, just like we did in 2015. We're all buying into that and doing what we can and leaving no stone unturned in making sure that we give ourselves the best possible chance in order to go out and do that."

"The togetherness of the team has always been the backbone. We always say that our first defender is our striker and our first attacker is our goalkeeper. So it's a collective effort all over the field. Every position is always up for grabs, no one ever takes for granted being here, and no one is ever entitled to the position, you have to come in, day in and day out, and earn the right to represent our great country and represent this great team."

Maty Ryan: Togetherness is our backbone | Press Conference | Australia v Uzbekistan

Ryan on his penalty heroics against the Uzbeks in 2019

"Yeah it's a pretty special one, for obvious reasons, a penalty shootout for a national team and coming out the other side triumphant is something as a goalkeeper you're going to have fond memories of. I remember it being a tight contest. Both teams been defensively well organized. And I don't think there was too many clear cut chances within the match.

"But obviously, it was the knockout stages of the Asian Cup. And I was, thankfully, with the help of my teammates and Volker on the sideline, giving me the signals for the penalties and whatnot, you know, we were able to come through in that moment for the team and progress on to the next game, and definitely be something that I'll never forget."

Aiden O'Neill

“I think they will potentially come at us a bit more, you've seen in the last two games, both teams sitting in and we've been breaking them down and getting the results that way. But I would expect the next game to be a bit more open, which I think will also suit us. I would expect them to try press us a bit higher, but again, I think if they if they do that the way that we play, I think we could hurt them and open them up quite a bit."

“It's a dream come true to be at my first international competition with the Socceroos, and to be honest, I'm enjoying every moment of it. Every day waking up and really enjoying myself and we're training hard as well and putting in the work, so we get the success that we want. I think competition in the squad is really good, it’s really healthy and that's what brings the best out of each other.”

Cameron Burgess

“It's tournament football, good to get a clean sheet and good to get another win. I think that for the whole team [our start to the Asian Cup] is something we can be proud of, I think it’s something that we take pride in and something that we focus on, it's a big message for us and something we really think is a big strength.”

“You've just got to find a way to win the game, it's not always going to be easy, especially when the team's set up like that. It means sometimes you can't score four and five goals; you have to just stick with it, and I think we've shown that as a team. In both games so far, we just stay calm and stick to the process.”

“We're here to win every game we're not here to take it easy in any games so we're going to go into that one with full confidence. Both teams are looking to get top spot so should be an exciting game and hopefully we can go and take all three points.”

SUBWAY SOCCEROOS AFC ASIAN CUP QATAR 2023™ FIXTURES (GROUP B):

Australia 2-0 India
(Jackson Irvine 50', Jordan Bos 73')
Saturday, 13 January 2024
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+

Syria 0-1 Australia
(Jackson Irvine 59')
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+

Australia v Uzbekistan
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Al Janoub Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+