Since suffering a 1-0 loss in their opener in Jeddah, the Uzbek side have reeled off three straight wins to move three points clear at the top of Group A.

A fourth consecutive victory could send them through to the last eight if Sepahan of Iran fail to beat Syria’s Al Ittihad Aleppo on the same day.

The AFC Champions League debutants also have a magnificent record on the domestic front with a perfect record after eight games but coach Mirdjalal Kasimov is not about to get carried away with results so far.

"Our last two games in the Uzbek League have been tough matches and we have not played well," said Kasimov.

"We have not shown our best form which could be due to fatigue although we are finding it difficult playing against teams with 10 or 11 players behind the ball.

"Wednesday’s game will be difficult and unfortunately, we will be missing Ulugbek Bakaev, who suffered a knee injury in our match against Al Ittihad Aleppo two weeks ago."

The injury is a recurrence of one that kept Bakaev out of Uzbekistan’s World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in March but the 29-year-old striker is expected to be the only major absentee for the Tashkent side, who have no other suspension or injury worries.

While Kuruvchi’s results have picked up since their opening loss, Al Ittihad have gone the opposite way, losing consecutive matches to Sepahan.

Having dismissed Brazilian coach Estevam Soares after losing the league title to Al Hilal on the final day of the season, the Jeddah side finally appear to be rediscovering their form under Argentinian Gabriel Calderon.

Morale has improved tremendously since a 4-1 win over Al Hilal in the first leg of the Saudi King’s Cup semi-finals last Thursday.

"The players are in good spirits after beating Al Hilal," said Calderon.

"We are well prepared for this match, which is very important for us, and hopefully we can get a win to climb back to the top of the standings.

"I’ve watched Kuruvchi closely and they are a good side but I am confident that we can return to Jeddah with three points."

Defender Redha Tukar has remained in Jeddah due to injury while Talal Al Meshal and Brazilian striker Magno Alves are both doubtful with leg problems.

However, defender Osama Al Harbi will return after missing the last game against Sepahan due to suspension.