Kuala Lumpur: Ahead of the start of the 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage, we take a look at El Jaish's Sardor Rashidov.
KEY PLAYER: SARDOR RASHIDOV – El Jaish
AFC Champions League Record
Appearances: 19
Goals: 2
PROFILE
Former Bunyodkor player Sardor Rashidov’s sublime skills and eye for goal persuaded Qatari side El Jaish to splash out on the exciting Uzbekistan forward last year.
Rashidov has burst onto the international scene in 2013 made a scoring international debut against Vietnam in 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying while he also helped Bunyodkor claim their third Uzbek title in a row.
The playmaker continued that form into the 2015 AFC Asian Cup finals as he netted twice in Uzbekistan’s 3-1 group stage win over Saudi Arabia as the Central Asians advanced to the last eight.
And although Bunyodkor were eliminated at the AFC Champions League group stage last year, Rashidov’s eye-catching form helped him book a one-way ticket to Doha and he will once again challenge himself against Asia’s best in the 2016 edition.
IMPORTANCE TO TEAM
After joining the Qatari side midway through the 2014-15 domestic campaign, Rashidov scored an impressive nine times in 14 games as El Jaish finished third and claimed an AFC Champions League play-off spot.
And if the Qataris are to at least equal a best ever Round of 16 performance in the continental cup they will need their star Uzbek to be at his instrumental best.
ONES TO WATCH
Morocco striker Abderrazzaq Hamedallah was a big success at his first Asian club, Guangzhou R&F, whom he joined in 2014, and he has replicated that since signing with El Jaish last summer. In midfield El Jaish have both Qatari youth and experience in 2014 AFC U-19 Championship MVP Ahmed Moein and Wesam Rizik, a veteran of over a 110 international caps.
Source: the-afc.com