Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
How they qualified: Winners - Uzbek League 2011
Established 2005
Nickname The Swallows
Home stadium Jar Stadium (9,000)
Website www.fcbunyodkor.com
Club Honours
Uzbek League champions 4 - 2008, 09, 10, 11
Uzbek Cup winners 2 - 2008, 10
Previous ACL appearances
2008 - Semi-finals
2009 - Quarter-finals
2010 - Round of 16
2011 - Round of 16
League champions in Uzbekistan for four consecutive seasons, Bunyodkor also have a good record in the AFC Champions League, having reached the knockout stage in every edition for which they have qualified.
But for all of their consistency, the Tashkent club have enjoyed diminishing returns in the competition over the course of the past four years. They got to the semi-finals on their debut in 2008, reached the quarter-finals in 2009 but crashed out in the round of 16 in the last two seasons.
Before last year, the Swallows were indeed legitimate contenders for the continental title with a strong line-up that included two-time AFC Player of the Year Server Djeparov and former World Player of the Year Rivaldo. However, the club have since cut back on their heavy spending and allowed many of their prized assets to leave.
But despite their high-profile departures, Bunyodkor remain the class of the Uzbek league and they have retained the services of a number of the country's best players including goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov, left-back Sakhob Juraev, defensive midfielder Victor Karpenko and striker Anvar Soliev.
They also boosted their squad during the off-season by signing Kyrgyzstan international full-back Emil Kenzhesariev from Kazakh side Aktobe and Uzbekistan international midfielder Lutfulla Turaev, who played a major role in Nasaf's AFC Cup victory last year.
Expectations
While Bunyodkor will be looking to maintain their proud record in the AFC Champions League by going past the group stage once again, they were handed few favours by the draw which placed them in a tough eastern group. Bunyodkor have a good home record in the competition with 10 wins in 15 matches but they have not done well on their travels and suffered heavy losses on their visits to Adelaide (3-0) in the 2008 semi-finals and to Pohang (4-1) in the 2009 quarter-finals.
Coach
Mirdjalal Kasimov
A legend as a captain and a playmaker for his country, Mirdjalal Kasimov accepted his first managerial position when he was appointed as head coach of Bunyodkor in late 2007. He led the club through the AFC Champions League group stage in 2008 but his initial stint with the club lasted just over half a year before was appointed as Uzbekistan national coach. He returned to Bunyodkor as head coach in 2010 following the departure of Luis Felipe Scolari.
Did you know?
Formed in 2005, the club won successive promotions in their first two seasons to rise quickly from the regional leagues to Uzbekistan's top flight. Buoyed by their meteoric rise, they decided to change their name midway through the 2008 season from Kuruvchi (which means 'builder' in Uzbek) to Bunyodkor (Uzbek for 'creator').
Key Player
Ignatiy Nesterov
A commanding presence in the penalty box, Ignatiy Nesterov has been Uzbekistan's first-choice goalkeeper for much of the past decade and played a major role in their run to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup in 2011. The 28-year-old joined Bunyodkor in 2009 after seven successful years at Tashkent rivals Pakhtakor and he has added further to his burgeoning medal collection by helping the club to win the Uzbek league title in the past three seasons.