The ninth draw of the AFC Champions League will again have its permanent member - eight time winner of Uzbekistan championship, Tashkent Pakhtakor. The team, which sent four of their strongest players - Odil Ahmedov, Aleksandr Geinrikh, Stanislav Andreyev and goalkeeper Timur Juraev to Doha to play for the national team, nonetheless was actively preparing for the season in January in the United Arab Emirates. And after the national team players returned to the home club (though not all of them - Odil Ahmedov was invited to Russian club Anji) Pakhtakor went to Turkey. The players returned from Antalya only this Monday morning. Of course, they were not happy about the snow in the capital. However, Pakhtakor will start the Champions League at home against the Saudi Al-Nassr, and must get used to the weather.

“I will not argue that we do not have problems,” said Pakhtakor manager Ravshan Haydarov. “Because we lost not only Ahmedov, but Geynrikh leaves as well (where is unknown yet), and this is also a huge loss. But we do not lose hope: the general lineup of the team was preserved, there is a foundation and experience. We have our own academy, which brings up quite promising lads. We have true masters, leaders who help young players to develop faster. One of them is Bojan Milodinovich - Akmal Holmuradov, Akbar Ismatullaev, Yegor Kremets are maturing next to him... Finally, there is a club spirit: Pakhtakor always aimed for the maximum tasks, and always aspired to achieve high goals. And we see them on the threshold of both the Champions League and the twentieth championship of Uzbekistan that starts on March 5.

The national champion of the last three years Bunyodkor has a half a century shorter history than that of Pakhtakor. But their ambitions are same strong, proven not only by titles, but also by the players. Bunyodkor delegated seven men to the national team. However, just like in Pakhtakor, not all of them came back: Timur Kapadze and Anzur Ismailov headed east - the former went to South Korea's Incheon United, the latter is now a player of Chinese Changchun Yatai. But swallows did strengthen their lineup by three Serbian legionaries - central defenders Sasha Djordjovich, who played for the Karaganda Shakhtar last season and Slavolyub Djordjovich from Belgrade Crvena Zvezda, as well as the latter’s team-mate striker Milos Trifonovich.

“The team is in good condition,” said general director of the club, Aleksandr Shapran. “While the national team players were in Qatar, others played in the CIS Cup in St. Petersburg. Then there was a serious training camp in Turkey. And on February 25 the team will go to the Emirates – on March 2 we will play against Al-Wahda in Abu Dhabi. We will fight for three points - Bunyodkor is always set on victory one the pitch.

While capital clubs represent Uzbekistan in the Champions League, in the AFC Cup it will be Qashqadaryo teams Nasaf and Shurtan to play for our country. Bronze winner of the last national championship Nasaf, who reached 1/8 finals at the last year's Cup, will play agains Lebanese Al-Ansar at home on March 1. And debutant of the continental tournament, Shurtan will play Al-Qadsiya in Kuwait the same day.