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Tajikistan and Turkmenistan lock horns at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the opening game of the 2023 CAFA Nations Cup on Sunday (June 11).
This is the first edition of the tournament between the Central Asian nations and is scheduled to be held biannually. Co-hosts Uzbekistan and invitees Oman are in the group too, while Group B features the other hosts, Kyrgyzstan, along with Iran and Afghanistan.
Tajikistan will hope to pick up their first win of 2023, having started with a goalless draw with the United Arab Emirates and a 2-1 loss to Kuwait just days later. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers coming up in November, the Persian Lions will have to gird up the loins, and this mini-tournament will be a great opportunity for that.
Turkmenistan, meanwhile, were last seen in action in March this year, where the Greens were beaten 1-0 by Malaysia in a friendly. Muhammad Akhyar scored the only goal of the game in the 28th minute as the Central Asian side lost their second straight game.
Tajikistan vs Turkmenistan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been six clashes between the two sides before, with Tajikistan winning thrice and losing twice.
- The two sides last met in November 2016, where Tajikistan won 3-0 in a friendly.
- Turkmenistan have failed to score in their last four games with Tajikistan, scoring only in their first two clashes (April 1994 and May 1997).
- Turkmenistan have lost four of their last five games.
- Tajikistan are winless in four games. Their last win came in September 2022 (2-1 vs Trinidad and Tobago).
- Alisher Dzhalilov has been the only scorer for Tajikistan in their last four games. That came in their most recent outing (2-1 loss vs UAE in March 2023), ending a run of three winless games.
Tajikistan vs Turkmenistan Prediction
Neither team is on a good run of form right now, but Tajikistan have a better squad on paper compared to Turkmenistan. The Karakum Warriors also have a terrible record against their Central Asian neighbours, and there's no reason to believe it could change here. Tajikistan should prevail, albeit narrowly.
Prediction: Tajikistan 1-0 Turkmenistan
Tajikistan vs Turkmenistan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Tajikistan
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
