World Cup qualifiers: Hong Kong not in Uzbekistan to make up numbers, says Andersen, as rival Katanec falls ill
- Hong Kong take on hosts in Tashkent having been comfortably beaten at home last week
- But Uzbekistan will be without head coach Srecko Katanec, who has gone home to Slovenia after falling ill on eve of contest
Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen wished Srecko Katanec a speedy recovery after the Uzbekistan boss fell ill and returned to Slovenia, ahead of the teams’ Fifa World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Assistant coach Ales Ceh, a Slovenia international under Katanec at the 2002 World Cup, will take charge of the hosts at the 34,000-capacity Milliy Stadium in Tashkent.
Andersen, who first encountered Katanec as a player in the German Bundesliga, in October 1988, said: “I wish him all the best, I know him, we played against each other when he was at Stuttgart, and I was with Eintracht Frankfurt. I hope he can be healthy as quickly as possible.
“For the game, [Katanec’s absence] will not make a big difference. The head coach is very important, but he has good staff, who can support him and give the team the information they need.”
Hong Kong competed ferociously but came off comfortably second best in a 2-0 defeat at home to Uzbekistan last week at Mong Kok Stadium, a venue Katanec later labelled as “dangerous” because of the state of the pitch.
The frontline players Andersen is missing for the return would form a very good six-a-side team, but the Norwegian said his injury-hit visitors were not in Central Asia to make up the numbers.
