No less than 10 players from domestic champions FC Istiklol feature in head coach Usmon Toshev’s travelling party, which will also meet Malaysia in a friendly on Saturday ahead of their competitive fixtures on November 14 and 19.

In addition to the legion of talent from the league champions - who finished 15 points clear in the title race despite losing their final match 3-2 to CSKA Pamir on Monday – seven players have been called up from overseas clubs.

Two goals in two minutes from the Red Bull Salzburg star saw off a determined Tajikistan before Takuma Asano completed the scoring eight minutes from time as Hajime Moriyasu’s side moved into pole position on their own in Group F with a maximum nine points.

Iskandar Dzhalilov’s sending off five minutes from time ensured a nervous finish for the Central Asian side, who sealed their second win in Group F having defeated Kyrgyz Republic in Dushanbe last Thursday.

The win means Tajikistan will sit on top of the group going into Matchday Three in October no matter what happens in the meeting between Myanmar and Japan later on Tuesday.

After taking just one point from eight matches at the same stage of qualifying four years ago, Usmon Toshev’s side got the resulted play merited thanks to an Alisher Dzhalilov strike just before half-time

Their win creates an unlikely top of the table clash against Mongolia on Tuesday, while a misfiring Kyrgyz Republic have until October 10 to iron out their problems ahead of their next match against Myanmar.

The two rejoin the national team set up ahead of a blockbuster two-week period, which will include a friendly match against Uzbekistan and key home FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Asian Qualifiers' ties against Japan and Tajikistan.

Baimatov’s inclusion is particularly significant given the 29-year-old defender hasn’t appeared for the Akshumkar in over a year after he suffered an injury in the weeks before AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

Korea Republic will play Lebanon in Beirut in a Group H tie, which will be followed by a friendly against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil five days later in Abu Dhabi.

The Socceroos currently top the section with nine points, with the Al Nshama following closely behind on seven, making a victory for Jordan essential if they are to stand a realistic chance of topping the group.

Though Jordan will not be lacking in determination, their fans know that much will depend on the performance of their three forwards: Musa Al Omari, Yaseen al Bakhit, and Baha’ Faisal.

This is especially true of the latter, who plays an important role tactically but knows that his main job is to score goals.