Sharjah: Oman will be a challenge but Uzbekistan are ready to face in-form West Asians in their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group F opener, said head coach Hector Cuper.



The White Wolves will be featuring in their seventh edition of the Continental showpiece and Cuper insists his players are ready to be tested in the UAE.

“Our team had good preparation leading up to the tournament, especially our centralised camps which included high-intensity trainings. We didn’t only focus on Oman but also the tournament as a whole and I’m satisfied with how everything went,” said Cuper.

“I’m not worried that we didn’t not play any friendlies before the tournament. I made that decision for a valid reason. Sometimes players can pick up unnecessary injuries, so I didn’t want to expose my players to that kind of risk.







Despite Oman being the reigning Gulf Cup champions, the Argentine tactician believes his side are capable of going up against the best in Asia.

“We are prepared to face Oman tomorrow (Wednesday), so let’s see how it goes. Everyone’s looking forward to the first match.

“Oman are a good national side, they will surely prove it on the pitch tomorrow. They won the Gulf Cup. We respect all of our opponents. One must be prepared for any kind of match, this is the Asian Cup and there can be a lot of surprises."

“We have been working a lot together and any coach cannot guarantee that their team will play extraordinary football. But you will see the real side of the national team tomorrow and we will play attractive football.

“It will be interesting for both sides, not just for Uzbekistan but for Oman as well. Let’s hope tomorrow will be a positive result in our favour.

Oman head coach Pim Verbeek was full of confidence ahead of the Group F clash at the Sharjah Stadium and revealed that his side is more than ready for the test.

“We are feeling good and are looking forward to start tomorrow’s match against Uzbekistan. The players have trained very hard and they want a perfect start to this tournament.

“I have a very good selection. It’s not only the first 11 but I have 23 good players and we had plenty of time to prepare for this tournament so I’m confident going up against Uzbekistan.

“There are no easy games in the AFC Asian Cup, all the games are tough, so we are prepared for a very tough day. I have the confidence we can compete and eventually progress into the next round.”

Oman had a smooth run towards their UAE 2019 campaign, with their only blip a 5-0 loss to Australia. But Verbeek’s men quickly bounced back with a 2-0 win against Thailand in their final tune-up.

“We had a good run in our build-up ahead of this tournament, we won plenty of friendlies but when you face a team like Australia, they are a completely different team than what we are accustomed to.

“We were not used to them and we made individual mistakes in that match. It was a hard evening for the boys but at the end of the day, we can learn from our mistakes and improve.

“Uzbekistan are a strong team. They have a very good U23 side that won the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China. They are physically very strong on and off the ball and their players are very versatile. But we are well prepared to face them tomorrow.”



Source: the-afc.com