“Our condition is very good and we are in a very good mood after we beat Vietnam and we want to win as we couldn’t beat Hong Kong in Tashkent. The whole team is ready to win and qualify for the Asian Cup. We are ready and we will play better than did against Vietnam,” said Uzbekistan coach Mirjalal Kasimov.

“Hong Kong defended well in Tashkent, but you have to understand it is easy to defend as a team and destroy what the opponent tries to do.

“This time, Hong Kong will be at home and they also have to attack as they also want to qualify so I think it will be a different game.”

Last week’s second consecutive 4-0 defeat at the hands of the UAE left Hong Kong needing to at least avoid defeat at Hong Kong Stadium to keep their chances of a top-two finish alive having claimed a hard-fought goalless draw in Tashkent at the start of the campaign.

And having seen his side score only one goal in their four games in Group E having beaten Vietnam at home in March, Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon has hinted he could make three at least attacking changes.

“For us we are not in a position to step back, we must try to get the three points. We know that there is a big difference between us and Uzbekistan and this will be the most challenging game for us. If we can get three points we can qualify and get to Australia,” said Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon.

“Our situation is a tough situation, but I believe if we have desire it can happen. We really want to try and get three points. No one expects we can get three points, but we will not step back. If we lose this opportunity we will be sad as we won four points with a lot of effort. If we can get three points we will have a big chance to get to Australia.”

Should Uzbekistan secure qualification on Tuesday, Hong Kong could still seal a first AFC Asian Cup appearance since 1968 with one place in the finals available for the best third-place finisher from across all five groups.

“We have only scored one goal against Vietnam, and the other games were against strong opponents and it is hard to score against these high levels teams. We must acknowledge our standard, but if there is a way to score we will try,” added Kim.

“The draw in Tashkent can give us confidence. They have a very good standard with quality players, but we know their style and that can be helpful.”