Uzbekistan soared to the top of the U23 Asia tournament in 2022, not only winning the runner-up spot, but also pocketing the glory of the 2018 title. This brilliant performance makes me confident that they will make a comeback this summer and write another brilliant story.
In my opinion, Uzbekistan will show strong momentum in their first match in Group D. They will build their offense through quick friction passes, and the whole team will try to overwhelm their opponents by focusing on offense and not being afraid of defensive challenges.
Rochav, the striker, will be at the heart of the team's attack and will undoubtedly pose a huge threat up front with his speed and skill.
Malaysia, the Asian dark horse, also showed good strength in the Asian tournament at the beginning of the year, but even so, I still think they lack the star who can single-handedly save the day.
Mori Sudian, the 22-year-old, has been given several appearances since joining YSCC Yokohama in the third tier of the Japanese league, and his performances are highly anticipated.
Despite the obvious power gap between the age groups, Uzbekistan, a team of champions, will undoubtedly take three easy points in the tournament.
Szullov, the brilliant striker, not only has the ability to put the ball in the net, but also contributes goals for the national team. I'm sure he will create a lot of problems for the opponents in this year's tournament.
Nonetheless, there is still a significant difference in the overall strength of the two sides, and I still favor Saudi Arabia to win this matchup comfortably.
