The Syrian side made a good start to the tournament with a 2-0 win in Iran against last year’s runners-up Sepahan but were brought back down to earth after a 1-0 home defeat to their namesakes from Saudi Arabia, Al Ittihad Jeddah, three weeks ago.

And with skipper Ammar Rihawi and midfielder Yahia Al Rached missing Wednesday’s game due to suspension, Valeriu knows that it will be tough for his side to get back to winning ways against the Uzbek league leaders.

"Our attacking plan will be affected against Kuruvchi," said the Romanian, who tried to formulate a new offensive plan for their last league match against Afrin, which finished in a 1-1 draw.

"We will miss two of our important players and this will have an impact on us because they have the sort of good experience that their replacements lack.”

Valeriu underlined the importance of the match between the teams that currently share second place in the group with three points each and identical goal differences.

"The game is very important for both sides because it will determine who will remain in contention for a quarter-final spot in the group,” he explained.

“A draw on Wednesday will only be good for Al Ittihad Jeddah who are top of the standings.”

The Romanian expects the Uzbeks to give his side a difficult time despite playing on the road.

"Kuruvchi will not be an easy team to beat because they are leading the league in Uzbekistan and they are like other Uzbek teams who depend on physical presence.

“I’ve watched their match against Al Ittihad in Jeddah and they had a good game. They play as one unit and it is very hard to pick out one star in the team.

"We will try to attack right from the start and it would be great if we could score before them. However, it will not be easy because our attacking options are limited."

Kuruvchi are in buoyant mood after their 5-0 win against UzDongJu last Thursday which sent them to the top of the Uzbek league.

Coach Mirdjalal Kasimov is hoping that his side will be able to build on that result and pick up their first away points of the campaign.

"Our big victory in the league was good preparation for the match against Al Ittihad," said Kasimov.

"I believe that we will go into the match in good spirits following that big win."

Kasimov, who arrived with his squad in Aleppo on Monday, will be without the services of midfielder Rashidjon Gofurov, who is suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the competition.

But the Uzbek football legend is delighted to welcome back striker Ulugbek Bakaev, who has recovered quickly from an injury that he sustained on international duty for Uzbekistan two weeks ago.

“I am glad that Ulugbek has recovered so quickly,” said the Kuruvchi coach.

“His absence could have seriously weakened our attack but, fortunately, he is now ready to play again, even if it is not from the start of the game.”

Veteran goalkeeper Pavel Bugalo is still sidelined by injury but Kasimov is pleased with the form so far of back-up custodian Murod Zukhurov, who has not conceded a goal in four matches.

“When we formed our team, we wanted two quality players for each position as we had to be prepared to lose players during the course of a long season,” Kasimov explained.