How they qualified: Winners - Uzbek Cup 2011
Established 1956
Nickname Lions, Cotton Pickers
Home stadium Jar Stadium (7,925)
Website www.pakhtakor.uz
Club Honours
Uzbek League champions 8 - 1992, 98, 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07
Uzbek Cup winners 11 - 1993, 97, 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 11
Previous ACL appearances
2003 - Semi-finals
2004 - Semi-finals
2005 - Group stage
2006 - Group stage
2007 - Group stage
2008 - Group stage
2009 - Quarter-finals
2010 - Round of 16
2011 - Group stage
Club Profile
The only club to qualify for every edition of the AFC Champions League thus far, Pakhtakor are making their 10th consecutive appearance in the competition this year.
But while they once dominated Uzbek football, winning six consecutive Uzbek league titles from 2002 to 2007, the Tashkent side are coming off their worst league performance in a decade.
With Uzbekistan international stars Odil Ahmedov and Alexander Geynrikh leaving before the start of the campaign, Pakhtakor relied largely on young players and eventually finished third in the league, well adrift of champions Bunyodkor and also behind second-placed Nasaf.
Their performance in the AFC Champions League was also disappointing as they finished last in their group with only one win. However, their season ended on a positive note when they beat Nasaf 3-1 to win the Uzbek Cup for a record 11th time.
Looking to revitalise their squad for the 2012 season, Pakhtakor have made wholesale changes, bringing in Serbian Dejan Djurdjevic as their new head coach and signing eight new players including experienced Japanese defender Naoya Shibamura, Montenegrin forward Sanibal Orahovac and Uzbekistan international forward Shakhboz Erkinov.
Expectations
Since appearing in the semi-finals of the first two editions of the AFC Champions League, Pakhtakor have only reached the knockout stage twice in seven attempts. But with all of their group rivals in poor form in their respective leagues this season and both Baniyas and Al Arabi lacking in experience at this level, they appear to have as good a chance as any to progress through to the last 16.
Coach
Dejan Djurdjevic
Serbian coach Dejan Djurdjevic took charge of Pakhtakor in December, replacing caretaker boss Murod Ismailov, who was appointed after the dismissal of Ravshan Haydarov last September. The 44-year-old has a reputation for bringing out the best in young players, having coached Serbia's U-17 national team and leading OFK Beograd to third place in the Serbian Super League in 2010.
Did you know?
Formed in 1956, Pakhtakor were once the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic's standard-bearers in the old Soviet league. They finished as high as sixth in the Soviet top flight twice, in 1962 and 1982, and they were the only Central Asian side to reach the final of the Soviet Cup in 1968 when they lost 1-0 to Torpedo Moscow.
Key Player
Stanislav Andreev
One of the brightest young stars in Uzbek football, Stanislav Andreev joined Paktakhor from Tupalang in 2007 and went on to make his international debut for Uzbekistan two years later at the age of 20. A versatile player who can play as a full-back or winger, Andreev lacks pace but makes up for it with excellent ball control, a fine range of passing and ability in dead-ball situations.