Both teams are ranked higher than the Blue Tigers but head coach Stimac said these are exactly the kind of matches India need to play to continue their progression.

The decision to award the hosting of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 to Uzbekistan, which will be held from June 1-19, was reached following a comprehensive assessment of the bidding proposals, which include meeting all the sporting, infrastructure and risk assessment requirements as well as the preparations already in place for the recently cancelled AFC U-19 Championship Uzbekistan 2020.

The tournament, which was won by Korea Republic when it was held in Thailand last year, will begin its Qualifiers later this year from October 23 – 31, 2021 in a centralised format with the venues to be decided and communicated in due course.

In matches from March 10 to 16, this week’s 10 nominees piled on 16 goals between them with Sam Kerr and Shahrom Samiev both bagging hat-tricks, a pair of Japanese teammates starring in Germany, and last week’s winner and runner-up – Gulzhigit Alykulov and Sardar Azmoun – both continuing their scoring form.

But who deserves the title as the week’s outstanding player? Study our goal-laden list of contenders and don’t forget to cast your vote.

As the kick-off date for the historic 2021 edition approaches, the-AFC.com looks back at the 2020 tournament which turned out to be a thrilling affair despite the challenging circumstances.

We kicked off the series in style with fans voting Persepolis FC's Mehdi Abdi Qara as the winner of the Best Headers of 2020, Ramin Rezaeian of Al Duhail topped the Best Free-kicks of 2020, Al Nassr's Abdulrahman Al Obaid won the Best Long-Range Goals of 2020, while Abderrazak Hamdallah's strike against Qatar's Al Saad on Matchday One was voted as the winner of the Best Team Goals of 2020.

Our next instalment looks at the goals scored right at the very end and invites you, the fan, to tell us which was your favourite.

Iraq will travel to Tashkent on Monday with the match serving as preparation for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Moriyasu named a squad of 23 players for the friendly against Korea Republic on Thursday, which will be followed by the Asian Qualifiers tie for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 against Mongolia five days later.

The Central Asian side currently lie third in Group F, making next Thursday’s match one they likely must win if they are to remain in with a realistic chance of advancing to the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which would also mean a slot in the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals.

Eight overseas-based players appear on the 24-man list, but one – Navbahor Namangan midfielder Ehsoni Panshanbe - will train with the national team squad despite being suspended for next Thursday’s match.