DUSHANBE, 11.06.2019. (NIAT Khovar) – The national football team of Tajikistan has been getting ready to face its Chinese opponent. The decisive match will take place today in Guangzhou.

“The match with the national team of China will be the first big test for the reformed national team of Tajikistan,” said the team’s head coach Usmon Toshev at the pre-match press conference.

“I want to thank the Chinese Football Association for the warm welcome. We are glad to be here. The friendly match against the Chinese team will be our first big test before the 2022 World Cup qualifying round, which starts as early as September,” noted Toshev.

Thought the Tajik team has been reformed, it is yet uncertain whether it can beat an opponent that had reached the quarter finals at the 2018 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

“If you look at our composition, you can see that there is rejuvenation. We build a team for the future. Of the 20 players who are in our national team in Guangzhou, nine footballers played for the Olympic team of Tajikistan (U-23) in March and in the qualifying tournament of the Asian Championship 2020 in Tashkent,” he explained.

“The Chinese team has a good selection of players. We are waiting for a tough match. We will try to play well,” added Toshev.

Even if the Tajik team will be defeated, the experience will have made the team stronger, thinks the team’s midfielder Parvizjon Umarboev.

“I think that the stronger the team, the more you grow yourself. The Chinese team is a very strong opponent and for us it will be a good test,” emphasized Umarboev.