Youngster Aziz Haydarov delivered a cheeky message to Uzbekistan’s opening Asian Cup opponents today: "Iran go home." Haydarov scribbled the words on a piece of paper and held it up for media ahead of Uzbekistan’s Group C opener against the regional giants.

The under-23 captain was bullish about Uzbekistan’s chances, pointing to the earlier matches where not one of the favourites has won.

"All teams have come to Malaysia to win and qualify for the next round. There are no easy opponents in this tournament - look at Oman drawing 1-1 with Australia," said the 22-year-old.

"If we build our game in the proper way we can have success."

Coach Rauf Inileyev admitted a draw would be a good result for Uzbekistan, who won the 1994 Asian Games title but only scraped into the Asian Cup in final qualifying.

"We will try to win all our matches but Iran are a very good team and I think a draw with Iran is a good result for any team," he said.

The former Soviet republic will at least be confident of improving on the last Asian Cup, where they shipped 14 goals against just two scored in their three group matches.

Meanwhile, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei is banking on his squad’s well-honed fitness and attacking prowess to seal a victory.

Ghalenoei acknowledged Iran were the favorites in Group C, but he noted the tournament has seen some surprising results so far, including powerhouses Australia and Japan being held to 1-1 draws by Oman and Qatar respectively.

Ghalenoei said he emphasised physical fitness training and other tactical planning to help his side overcome obstacles posed by the humid weather in Malaysia.

"We have adapted to the conditions," Ghalenoei said.

"We will surely have an attacking style."

Iran midfielder Mehdi Mahdavikia said Iran was stronger compared to last year, when they struggled at the World Cup in Germany amid injuries and lack of preparation. He said the team has youngsters and experienced players who have trained hard and are fully fit.

"If we can win the first match, then we can think about (advancing into) the next stage," Mahdavikia said.

Uzbek midfielder Aziz Haydarov said his side will try to counter Iran’s ability to capitalise on free kicks and corner kicks. "If we can build our game in a proper way, we can have success," Haydarov said. "We’ll play our best to cheer up our fans."