Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) --
In a major blow for the Uzbekistan side, captain Maksim Shatskikh will not play against Australia in Sydney on Wednesday,
Uz-FP.com reported.
The all-time Uzbek leading goal scorer has struggled for game time with his club Dinamo Kiev and has not pulled up well after playing 60 minutes in Saturday’s win over Qatar.
"Of course he’s [Shatskikh] a big loss," said team manager Alisher Nikimbaev. "Not only because of the player, but because of his experience, the expectation of the other team.
“Sometimes he is not scoring, but he is attracting attention from defenders, and he gives opportunities for his teammates. So he is a big loss, but we have to be ready for this situation."