Following last weekend’s 3-0 defeat against Qatar in their opening qualifier, the Uzbeks go into the match on Wednesday (tomorrow morning, Sydney time) against Australia under enormous scrutiny from their demanding fans - so much so there will be a massive security presence to keep the crowd under control in case the game does not unfold the way they would have hoped.

Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek knows firsthand how restive the supporters can be, recalling how two years ago the home team was unable to leave the centre circle for some time after the final whistle when his South Korean side won an Asian Cup qualifying match.

That game was also held up when rocks and other missiles rained down from the stands at the Pakhtakor Stadium, which is also the venue for this match.

A day after calling his players and the federation together for a crisis meeting, Inileev used the official pre-match press conference to appeal to fans, and the local media, to get behind the team ahead of the crucial encounter against the Socceroos, a team he admitted "have enough quality for success in this match".

Asked which Australian players he was most concerned about, he replied: "I saw the [warm-up] match against South Africa [a 2-2 draw in London last month] and I especially enjoyed the game of the number nine, I think it was Kennedy. He is 194 centimetres, he scored a goal, and he was a very difficult player for the other team. And I would also underline Mark Schwarzer, he is a very experienced, and skilful, goalkeeper. But of course, there are also many other good players in the Australian team."

Inileev readily admits there is huge pressure on the Uzbeks to win the match after the defeat in Doha, and his cause has not been helped by the loss of lively striker Alexander Geynrikh to a controversial suspension, and injury doubts surrounding key midfielder Timur Kapadze.

Geynrikh picked up his second card of the campaign [and therefore a one-match ban] for simulation against Qatar, an incident which could easily have been construed as a penalty instead.

"I don’t want to comment on the referees, he has made his decision, and we have enough good players to replace Geynrikh," Inileev said. "About Kapadze, he is not fully fit for this match, so we have not yet decided whether he can play."

Asked what problems he had identified from the Qatar defeat, Inileev responded: "The main problem is we don’t have any competition points. That is why this game is so vital for us if we want to continue our struggle for the World Cup. The players know the importance of the match."