🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

Cannavaro sets Uzbekistan up in a 4-3-3, with Khusanov anchoring a back four that defends deep and compact. From there, the team looks to transition quickly: Fayzullaev drifts inside from wide positions to link play, while Oston Urunov and Jaloliddin Masharipov provide energy and box-to-box running in midfield. Shomurodov leads the line, holding the ball to bring runners into play rather than chasing in behind.

Watch Abdukodir Khusanov first — a centre-back who earned a January 2025 move to Manchester City and immediately played Champions League football, which tells you everything about his reading of the game and composure under pressure. Eldor Shomurodov is the experienced striker whose hold-up play and movement at Istanbul Basaksehir give Uzbekistan a reliable focal point, while the electric Abbosek Fayzullaev, also at Basaksehir, is the creator who can unlock defences with quick combinations in tight spaces.

Khusanov's Champions League-level composure anchors a defence that is hard to break down. The Basaksehir club connection between Shomurodov and Fayzullaev gives Uzbekistan a pre-built attacking partnership with genuine chemistry, and their Asian qualifying campaign showed an ability to grind out results against physical opponents.

Depth beyond the first XI is a concern — the majority of outfield players are based in domestic Central Asian or lower-tier Middle Eastern leagues, meaning quality drops sharply if key men are injured. Cannavaro's side can also be passive in possession, inviting pressure and struggling to control games when they need a goal against organised defences.