Uzbekistan currently sit at the bottom of Group A with just one point from four games, but a win at Pakhtakor Stadium would keep Kasimov’s side in the hunt for third place with Australia and Japan already in strong positions to secure the two automatic berths.

Qatar, who beat Uzbekistan 3-0 in September, currently sit level on four points with Bahrain at the halfway stage.

Central defender Anzur Ismailov is suspended and Kasimov, who is also without the injured Islom Inomov and Ildar Magdeev, must choose a suitable replacement.

“We have to decide who will replace Ismailov,” said Kasimov. “We also are without Islom Inomov and Ildar Magdeev due to injury.

“Ilyas Zejtullaev has just returned to the national team after a long break but is not fully fit.

“Nevertheless, we are ready for the match. We have no place to go and we will accept only a victory.”

Pakhtakor midfielder Stanislav Andreev who has impressed during the opening rounds of the AFC Champions League and domestically, goalkeeper Michael Naumov and Mashal defender Artyom Filiposyan have been included in the squad for the first time.

Qatar coach Bruno Metsu also has selection concerns with defender Ibrahim Al Maged also suspended, while defender Abdulla Koni and Mostafa Abdulla are ruled out due to long term injuries.

Qatar have so far won one and drawn one of their opening four games and head into the contest on the back of a 2-1 friendly win over Syria last Saturday, but Metsu is not getting carried away by September’s win in Doha.

“Our position is better than Uzbekistan. If we lose, we will continue to struggle, but if Uzbekistan lose they will lose every chance of qualifying,” said the French coach.

“The game is very important and our concentration is high. We will play against Uzbekistan with the same tactics that we used against Syria.

“I’m confident that the players will show their commitment to win the game. Playing against Syria prepared us well for the match and hopefully we can win the game.

“Despite its importance, the match against Uzbekistan is not decisive as we have a match against Bahrain four days later. However, if we want to qualify for the World Cup, we must go into our matches with a winning mentality.”