The perennial giants of Uzbek football, who have won six consecutive domestic league and cup doubles, have struggled in the continental championship so far this season and are bottom of their group with only one point following a 1-0 home loss to Kuwait’s Al Qadisiya and a 2-2 draw in Qatar against Al Gharafa.

And even their domestic dominance appears to be under threat after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Locomotive last weekend, leaving them two points behind league leaders Kuruvchi.

Haydarov is determined to see his team get their season back on track, beginning with their game at the MHSK Stadium against Arbil.

"We need to make amends in front of our fans for our disappointing performances so far in the AFC Champions League and for our draw against Locomotive last week," said the former Uzbekistan national coach.

"Our fans always expect the best results and performances from us, so we should justify their hopes in us."

The Pakhtakor boss is not expecting his team to have it easy against an Arbil side that have drawn 1-1 in both of their AFC Champions League matches so far.

"They are a very strong team with players of good quality who know how to battle.

"And the situation in our group right now is very tight with all of the teams having dropped points, so we need to win against Arbil to keep alive our hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals."

Striker Farhod Tadjiyev, who missed the game against Locomotive with a stomach problem, is doubtful for the game while his brother, defender Komoliddin, is suspended after his dismissal in the draw against Al Gharafa.

Arbil made a lengthy journey from Iraq to Uzbekistan via Jordan and Turkey, and arrived in Tashkent without strikers Haydar Qaraman and Ahmad Muhammed, who have remained in Iraq after suffering training injuries.

Forward Ahmed Salah is unlikely to start due to a foot injury but midfielder Wissam Zaki could return after recovering from a slight injury.

Iraq international forward Loay Salah could also make his AFC Champions League debut for Arbil after receiving his international transfer certificate from Iranian club Persepolis.

Arbil coach Akram Salman expects the match in Tashkent to be his team’s stiffest test so far in the competition.

"The match against Pakhtakor will not be easy for us and it will probably be more important than our two previous matches," he said.

"The third round of games is always important and a win on Wednesday will give us a big boost before our forthcoming games.

"Pakhtakor are a well balanced team and they usually play their matches at a quick tempo. They have good players who are also strong physically.

"Despite our draws against Al Gharafa and Al Qadisiya, we can get back on track and hopefully we will play with confidence against Pakhtakor, especially as we have studied their tactics and style from their previous two matches."