Japan coach Go Oiwa (left) and Uzbekistan coach Timur Kapadze pose with the AFC U23 Cup trophy on the eve of the final in Doha.
Doha, Qatar: Both Uzbekistan and Japan will have their eyes set on one target when the two teams meet in Doha today - to clinch the second AFC U23 title.
Having missed out on a second Asian crown at the 2022 final at home, Uzbekistan will look to repeat their heroics from 2018, while Japan will aim to relive the memories from 2016 when they won the U23 Asian title in Doha.
However, the task won’t be easy for either of the Asian football powerhouses at U23 level. Addressing their respective pre-match press conferences, both the coaches yesterday expressed their confidence in securing the title glory as the stage is set for a thrilling final at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Despite the absence of key players Abdukodir Khusanov, Hojimat Erkinov, and Abbosbek Fayzullaev, Uzbekistan's head coach, Timur Kapadze, yesterday looked unfazed ahead of the clash. Four days after leading the Central Asian side to the Paris Olympics, the former Sharjah FC midfielder indicated he still has plenty of arsenal in his possession.
"We don’t only have 11 players, we have 23 players. Yes, those players have returned to their clubs and they gave us extra strength but we have other players who are ready to play tomorrow," Kapadze said.
Despite acknowledging the challenge posed by the familiar opponent, Kapadze is keen to replicate his success against Japan whom they overcame in the quarter-finals in 2018 when they went on to clinch the maiden title.
Two years ago, the two teams met in the AFC U23 Cup again, this time in the semi-finals in Uzbekistan.
With Kapadze in charge once again, Uzbekistan defeated Japan 2-0 on their way to the final in which they went down to Saudi Arabia.
"We have a tough game ahead of us but we’re going to try to win using all of our capabilities and according to our plan," Kapadze said ahead of today's final.
When Kapadze's side defeated Japan in Tashkent two years ago, it was Go Oiwa who was in charge of the East Asian side, and the former Samurai Blue player has the perfect opportunity for sweet revenge today.
Oiwa's side is in excellent form in Doha this time, having defeated hosts Qatar in the quarter-finals before overcoming strong Iraqis in the semi-finals.
Oiwa is confident in his team's ability to break Uzbekistan's defense and believes his team will overcome the weaknesses.
Japan have been struggling to convert their dominance into goals throughout the tournament.
Oiwa said: "We think that we have created enough goal chances throughout the tournament but unfortunately the number of goals hasn’t been enough."
"But I believe we are improving match by match and we expect to score in the final, so hopefully we can win," Oiwa said.
