ASIA'S CHOKERS NO LONGER?

Its almost a cliché in Asia that Uzbekistan are the continent's chokers but the label could soon be removed forever. The Central Asians have managed to avoid going to the World Cup just when it was within reach. The first near-miss came in the continental play-off for the 2006 World Cup, when a win against Bahrain would have meant a final elimination match against Trinidad & Tobago. That failure — two draws but a defeat on away goals — was painful enough but, in 2014, the team missed out on an automatic spot by virtue of the narrowest goal-difference margin and then, in 2018, a victory over South Korea at home in the final game would have meant a place in Russia.

- John Duerden

Things are different now, or should be. The White Wolves are three points clear of the United Arab Emirates in the second of Group A’s automatic spots with four games of the ten remaining. The nation has had success at youth level and its players are increasingly headed to Europe, with centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov’s January move to Manchester City just the highest-profile.