Football: All Whites set for tough test in January, with strong Asian opponent revealed

Sarpreet Singh and the All Whites will be back in action in January. Photo / Getty

The All Whites are set to play Uzbekistan in the next FIFA window in January.

The Herald understands that arrangements have been confirmed with the Central Asian side for the match, which will take place in United Arab Emirates, most likely in Abu Dhabi.

With a FIFA world ranking of 84, they should be one of the toughest tests so far for Danny Hay's team, who currently sit at 110.

Since the start of 2019 Uzbekistan have played 32 international matches, developing strong combinations and cohesion. Across the same period the All Whites have assembled for six games.

During that time Uzbekistan held Australia to 0-0 in the 2019 Asian Cup before losing on penalties, while Oman (78), China (74), North Korea (109), Syria (85) and Jordan (91) are among teams they have beaten.

Uzbekistan were eliminated from 2022 FIFA World Cup contention by a powerful Saudi Arabia team, who are currently ahead of both Japan and Australia in the third stage of Asian qualifying. In September Uzbekistan pushed world No 18 Sweden away from home, eventually losing 2-1 in Solna.

Prominent players include captain Eldor Shomurodov, who earned a 17.5 million euro move (NZ$29m) to Jose Mourinho's Roma in August, after scoring eight goals for Genoa in his debut Serie A season.

Shomurodov has scored 23 international goals in 53 games, including strikes against Canada, Iraq, Japan, Iran and Sweden.

While most Uzbek players are domestic based, with some in Asian leagues, their squad also includes Sheriff Tiraspol winger Jasurbek Yakhshiboev, who scored in their shock 2-1 UEFA Champions League win over Real Madrid in September.

New Zealand have faced Uzbekistan once before, in September 2014 in Tashkent, under caretaker coach Neil Emblen, with Anthony Hudson waiting on his work visa.

They lost 3-1, with Jeremy Brockie scoring his last goal for the All Whites, in a game that featured Bill Tuiloma, Winston Reid and Chris Wood from Hay's recent squads, as well as Storm Roux, Kosta Barbarouses and Tim Payne.

The two countries have also met several times at age-group level.

The Junior All Whites played twice in Tashkent in 2015, with Alex Rufer getting the only goal across two losses (1-0, 2-1), following a 3-0 defeat at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup.

New Zealand's most memorable match against an Uzbekistan team came at the 2011 Under-17 World Cup in Mexico, with Stephen Carmichael firing a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.

At the time it was just the second victory by a national men's team in a FIFA tournament, while Carmichael was the first male Kiwi to bag a treble at that level.

That squad also included Scott Basalaj, Payne, Cameron Howieson, Kip Colvey and Luke Adams.

The All Whites' second match in January is yet to be finalised but is likely to also be against Asian opposition.

The two games will be their final opportunities for match fitness ahead of the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament in March 2022 in Qatar.

This year the All Whites have had wins over Curacao (2-1), Bahrain (1-0) and Gambia (2-0), along with a 2-1 victory over Algeria A in an unofficial fixture.