Uzbekistan and Bahrain both have a point apiece from three games with the Uzbeks propping up the table by virtue of an inferior goal difference.

With Australia and Japan currently occupying the automatic qualification spots on nine and seven points respectively, victory would seem imperative for both sides.

But with the third-placed team going into a play-off, Macala believes that whoever comes off second best in the World Cup qualifier in Tashkent can still make it to South Africa.

“We will fight. It will be a very interesting game, both sides need to win, but I think that loser of this game still has a chance to qualify,” he said.

“We have to play Qatar and Uzbekistan at home, while Uzbekistan also have home matches with Qatar and Japan.”

It has been an underwhelming start from Uzbekistan, a side considered among the serious contenders for automatic qualification at the outset of the final round.

But with some of Bahrain’s squad playing their club football in Qatar and Kuwait, they were only able to arrive in Uzbekistan two days before the game adding a further complication to what Macala describes as a tough assignment.

“Uzbekistan have a very strong team,” he added.

“I saw all their games in the third qualification round and it will be very difficult for us.

“But we prepared for this and are ready to fight. Of course Australia and Japan are the favourites of our group but they are not in the World Cup yet.”

Vagiz Galiulin is a doubt for Uzbekistan after developing a fever but coach Mirjalal Kasimov is confident his side are otherwise in good shape and warned his foreign stars they face a fight to make the starting eleven. “We started our preparation for this match on February, 5,” he said.

“All of our foreign-based players joined the team. They are in good shape and they are ready to fight but playing abroad does not mean that players automatically book their places in the team.”

Like counterpart Macala, Kasimov is expecting a stern test.

“We not only watched their last two games, we followed them during the recent Gulf Cup and the match against Australia,” he added.

“I think I have learned a lot about Bahrain, they are a very good team with a number of talented players. They could create problems for us but we will try to overcome it.”