Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's top priority is making it to the FIFA World Cup 2018 being held next door in Russia. Nothing short of qualification for their first ever World Cup will be satisfactory for the Uzbek who seem to have put all their resources into this project. Uzbekistan is going through a transition where the older generation has all but disappeared and Qasimov is counting on young promising players to achieve their objective. Players like Sardor Rashidov of Bunyodkor was excellent in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 while Igor Sergeyev (Pakhtakor) and Ikrom Aliboev are awaiting their chances to shine for their country. Qasimov still has some of the veterans on hand. Former AFC Player of the year Server Djeparov (2008 and 2011) and the tough tackling Vitaliy Denisov are still part of the squad but playing peripheral roles. Their experience is considered vital by Qasimov in their quest to make it to Russia in 2018. 7 Uzbek players make their living abroad including Fazil Musayev who had quite a successful season in Iran's winning the league title with Sepahan Esfahan.Iran
Iran on the other hand , is considered on of the favorites to make it to the FIFA World Cup 2018. Like Uzbekistan , this match will be a stern test and a good warm up for Carlos Queiroz who found Uzbekistan quite a tough nut to crack when they last met in the qualifiers of the last World Cup. It is not expected that Queiroz will divert away from his solid defensive game plan. With the skeleton of the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Asian Cup team , Queiroz will continue with the same strategy minus Javad Nekounam who has retired from international football. The most significant blow to Queiroz will be the absence of Ashkan Dejagah , one of Iran's best players for the last few years. However , with the excellent Vahid Amiri in form and the emergence of Ehsan Hajsafy in midfield, Dejagah's absence will be minimized. The only real concern for Queiroz will be in the goal. Team Melli might find it tough going without a quality keeper between the posts.Prediction
It is expected to be a tight and closed match with the most likely result being goalless or a small margin win for either sides. Entertainment value is not expected to be high.Match details
UZBEKISTAN vs. IRAN
Venue: Bunyodkor's Metropolitan Stadium,
City : Tashkent
date: Thursday 11th June 2015
Time: 17:30 (Tehran) 13:00 GMT
IRAN vs. UZBEKISTAN
Head to Head results
| H / A / N | Matches | W | D | L | Goals | + / - |
| Home | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 - 1 | -1 |
| Away | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 - 0 | +1 |
| Neutral | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 - 1 | +5 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 - 2 | +5 |
| Date | Comp. | H / A / N | Final score | Stadium | Attendance |
| 14.11.2012 | World Cup Qualifier | H | 0 - 1 | Azadi Stadium , Tehran | 40,000 |
| 03.06.2012 | World Cup Qualifier | A | 1 - 0 | JAR Stadium -Tashkent | 9,000 |
| 05.09.2009 | Friendly | A | 0 - 0 | Tashkent / Pakhtakor | 9,500 |
| 11.07.2007 | Asian Cup / Group C | N | 2 - 1 | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur | 3,000 |
| 14.12.1998 | Asian Games | N | 4 - 0 | Suphachalasai | 2,500 |