TONIGHT! UZBEKISTAN v MALAYSIA

Group C will go into its Second Matchday this evening with the Pasukan Kebangsaan playing against another strong Asian team, Uzbekistan. Kick-off will be at a strange time of 6.20pm. Expect to see a lot of changes to the starting line-up for Malaysia and also a decrease in stadium attendance compared to the game on Tuesday.

For the record Malaysia have met Uzbekistan twice before, in 1994 at the Asian Games in Hiroshima (where Malaysia lost 5-0) and in 1999 in a friendly in Samarkand where the host beat Malaysia 3-0.

Uzbekistan
For everyone's recollection, the former Soviet bloc actually won that same Asian Games gold medal in Hiroshima, winning all 7 games. But their foray into the AFC competitions have not been successful eversince. They missed out on qualifying in the 1996 Asian Cup, but managed to join the competition anyway at the last minute due to the disqualification of the Phillipines. Losing two of the three matches, Uzbekistan came out bottom of their group.

Although their qualified for the next Asian Cup in Lebanon, again they came out last in the group. Having drawn their opening game with Qatar 1-1, they were then torn apart by eventual champion Japan, who thumped the Uzbeks 8-1, the second largest margin in Asian Cup history.

They were more competitive in the recent Asian Cup in China, winning all of their group games but losing out to Bahrain on penalties. They lost to Iran 1-2 in the their first group match in this current edition of the Asian Cup, and will be looking for a win to keep their hope of reaching the quarters alive. They team is coached by former Uzbekistan U-23 boss Rauf Inileyev. Inileyev has a talented squad at his disposal with Dynamo Kiev’s Maksim Shatskikh still in his goal-scoring prime while Server Djeparov has taken over much of the creative duties since Kasimov stood down

Players to watch: Maksim Shatskikh - star player from Dynamo Kiev, the Uzbek Svechenko as they call him.

Malaysia
There will changes to the team, with Nantha probably starting from the looks of it, as Norizan took the lanky defender along for his pre-match conference. Norizan will probably stick with Azizon in goal, as the custodian have been given a special counselling session by the goalkeeping coach and will be keen to amend for his nervy performance in the first match.

BorakBola is unsure who between Fauzie and Rosdi will stay, but definitely one of them will go. We are hoping that Kedah's Thiru will be given a chance to show his stuff.

Despite playing badly against China, Kaironnisam would probably still start as he is the captain after all and between him and Norhafiz and the inexperienced Poster Boy Aidil Zafuan, we rather have the captain in the first eleven. Better the devil than the deep blue sea.

BorakBola cannot figure the other two players that will join Hardi and Shukor (Norizan's favourite) in midfield. As we have mentioned before in this blog, Eddy Helmi is good as a replacement player and not a starter, and again Norizan should include him as a subsitute, perhaps earlier in the second half. There's Ivan Yusof as an option to either Fadzli or Shahrulnizam.

Indra should get the nod to lead the line this time, perhaps Norizan can have Akmal and Indra as the strikers, as we are not convinced Hairuddin will find the net in the Asian Cup tournament.

Players to watch: Indra Putra and K Nanthakumar - hoping that the changes will bring results

See you guys tonite!

Taken from The Star
Coach Norizan to ring the changes

By ERIC SAMUEL

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will make major changes to their starting line-up for the match against Uzbekistan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.

Coach Norizan Bakar said that it was back to the drawing board to chart their strategies for the remaining two matches in Group C following the heavy 1-5 defeat by China in their opening match on Tuesday.

“We need to make changes and we learnt it the hard way in our opening game,” said a disappointed Norizan of his side, who had difficulties coping with the Chinese onslaught and paid dearly for their poor tactical discipline in defence.

“It was obvious that we did not cut off the crosses well. When the whole defence cracks against a strong attacking side like China, we are in big trouble.”

The defenders who started against China were skipper Mohd Kaironissam Sahabuddin and Norhafiz Zamani Misbah at centreback, leftback Rosdi Talib and rightback Fauzie Nan. And they were a big letdown.

But there was nothing much Malaysia could do against the tactically sound Chinese, who made good use of their physical advantage to cruise to an easy victory.

Knowing that they were up against taller opponents, it was a surprise that Norizan left out the lanky K. Nanthakumar from the starting line-up. In fact, all the goals conceded were off the Chinese aerial raids.

Besides Nanthakumar, who came in at the half hour mark, the other defenders in the team are Mohd Hamzani Omar, Nazrulerwan Makmor, V. Thirumurugan and Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak.

Norizan felt that his team should be able to pick up the pieces for the matches against Uzbekistan and Iran (July 18).

The only consolation for Norizan was the neat set-piece which his men pulled off in the 73rd minute.

It was their best move of the night by the Malaysians with Hardi Jaafar squaring the ball to Hairuddin Omar, who relayed it to Indra Putra Mahayuddin to strike a first-timed shot into goal.

“If only the boys can come up with more of such set- pieces to score goals, we should get better results,” said Norizan.