Uzbekistan comfortably topped Group B with a perfect return of three wins from three games to reach the knockout stage without conceding a goal in the process.

However, Kabaev believes that record will come under severe pressure when they meet Saudi Arabia at Zibo Sports Centre, underlining that he was particularly concerned about the threat posed by striker Yahya Dagriri – who netted a late winner against Thailand – and that defender Yasir Al Shahrani and keeper Mohammed Al Sdairy would also prove a formidable barrier.

“So far I have not found any weak points in the Saudi team but I do know that number seven (Dagriri), number 24 (Al Shahrani) and the goalkeeper are very good,” he said.

“But all the teams are tough at this stage. The match is a very important match because we want to go to the World Cup next year. For both of the teams it is very important and I think it will be an interesting match.”

A place in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup final is on offer for the four semi-finalists, an extra incentive if one were needed for the winner of Monday's encounter.

Whatever the result, Kabaev believes the AFC U-19 Championship has been a positive experience for his young side.

“This tournament has been good for us as we have been able to develop our young players further,” he added.

Saudi Arabia progressed as runners-up in Group A as Dagriri's crucial late goal saw them recover from an opening defeat to China with a vital 1-0 triumph over Thailand before edging out Syria by the same score-line to make it through.

Coach Khalid Al Koroni insisted it did not matter who they were playing once the competition reached the last eight.

“I think all the teams deserve to be in this round because they are all good. It is not so easy because all the teams in the quarter-final are very strong,” he said.

“Uzbekistan is a good team and a strong team and they have good skills, especially their defence, which is very good.”

Like Kabaev, Al Koroni also underscored the benefits of the AFC U-19 Championships for his young charges.

“The tournament has helped us to develop our players, especially as there are a lot of good teams such as Uzbekistan, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, all these teams are good,” he added.

“We hope we can go to next year's World Cup but first we must produce a good performance against Uzbekistan.”