The two Central Asian teams go into Thursday’s clash on the back of a poor result in their second group stage matches.

Uzbekistan held the upper hand in their meeting with Jordan but could only manage a goalless draw that Evstafeev admitted made their final Group A fixture a dicey affair, while Tajikistan were stunned 4-1 by a resurgent Indonesia that left them at the foot the table knowing that a victory for the South East Asians against Jordan will seal their fate.

Evstafeev admitted after the draw with Jordan that the stalemate had ‘complicated things for themselves’ and the result also threw the group wide open.

And while the Tajiks are the outsiders of the four to qualify, the Uzbek coach stressed their potential threat to his side’s chances.

“I watched their first game. Every team chooses their tactics according to the opponent that they’re playing," said Evstafeev (pictured).

“I am sure Tajikistan will not play against us in the way that they played against Jordan.

“But we are also preparing for this game and will be more than ready.”

Tajikistan coach Zoir Babaev maintains the constant twists and turns of tournament football could still see his side pull off qualification as he looked to pick up the pieces from his side’s demoralising loss.

“This is football and anything can happen,” he said.

“As you saw, after their first game against Uzbekistan, the Indonesians learned some very good lessons from their mistakes. They improved upon those aspects and won.

“I promise you, we will not play like (the way we played against Indonesia) in the next game.”