Tajikistan's midfielder core withdrew from the Asian Cup, and the old coach was difficult to find Plan B
At 22:30 on January 13, the national football team will face Tajikistan in the first round of the group stage of the Asian Cup. The Tajikistan Football Federation announced on Friday that Zhurabayev withdrew from the Asian Cup due to injury.
According to the rules of the Asian Cup, the top two teams in each group and the four best teams in the six groups will advance to the round of 16. In Group A, the host Qatar is expected to secure a qualifying spot, and the national football team is likely to compete with Tajikistan for the second place in the group, which makes the first game of the group stage a "decisive battle".
It is worth emphasizing that the match against the national football team was also Tajikistan's Asian Cup debut. Before his first appearance in the Asian Cup, Zhuraboyev's withdrawal dealt a blow to Tajikistan. The 27-year-old has made 56 appearances for Tajikistan and has played the full 90 minutes in both World Cup qualifiers in November 2023.
In the warm-up match before the Asian Cup, Zhuraboyev also played the full 90 minutes against Hong Kong, China. Unfortunately, he also suffered an ankle injury in the warm-up match and needed weeks to fully recover, so he had to withdraw from the Asian Cup.
Zhuraboev is not only a regular midfielder, but also one of the most experienced players, playing an important role in a team with an average age of less than 25. "We lost Zhuraboyev, who played a key role, and we lost Jalilov, one of our best players, but we are a team that will find a solution and we will try to find a solution. ”
In Zhurabeev's absence, who will partner Umabayev in the back has become a question for veteran coach Shegert to consider. At the same time, Jankovic should make the most of this positive and try to create more chances in the middle.
At the same time, Jankovic basically finalized the main lineup, Wu Lei will partner with Tan Long in the front, Lin Liangming and Liu Binbin will become the two wings of the midfield, and Wang Qiuming will replace Wu Xi. If Tajikistan can be defeated, then the national football team will basically lock in a knockout place and preliminarily complete the goal of this Asian Cup.
Hong Kong predicted starting lineup: Yan Junling, Liu Yang, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linpeng, Lin Liangming, Wang Shangyuan, Wang Qiuming, Liu Binbin, Wu Lei, Tan Long