Kuala Lumpur: As the Group Stage of the AFC Champions League 2016 starts on Tuesday, lets take a look at one of the competition's key players, veteran midfielder Server Djeparov of Lokomotiv.
KEY PLAYER: SERVER DJEPAROV – Lokomotiv
AFC Champions League Record
Appearances: 56
Goals: 6
PROFILE
Two-time AFC Player of the Year Server Djeparov will be looking to spearhead Lokomotiv’s 2016 AFC Champions League challenge after returning to Uzbekistan following stints in Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old playmaker, who won the AFC Player of the Year crown in 2008 and 2011, joined Lokomotiv following a season with Ulsan Hyundai and last represented a club from his homeland in 2010 when he was on the books of big-spending Bunyodkor.
It was while with Bunyodkor that he won his first AFC Player of the Year title, when he played a key role in the club’s run to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.
That was the second time Djeparov had featured in the last four of the competition, having been in the Pakhtakor squad that lost to Seongnam Ilhwa in the semi-finals in 2004.
Djeparov’s second AFC Player of the Year title came in 2011 when he was instrumental in Uzbekistan reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.
IMPORTANCE TO TEAM
While Djeparov is now considered a veteran, his creative talents remain undiminished and the attacking midfielder continues to be able to unlock the most stubborn of defences.
His ability to create and score goals make him a much-sought after talent and Lokomotiv will undoubtedly benefit from his arrival.
ONES TO WATCH
Lokomotiv captain Timur Kapadze has reached three AFC Champions League semi-finals and goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov is also vastly experienced boasting an impressive haul of 11 Uzbek League winners’ medals and 10 Uzbek Cups. Midfielder Sanjar Shaakhmedov netted a hugely impressive 10 goals from 19 league games to finish among the top scorers in the 2015 Uzbek League.
Source: the-afc.com