Villanueva struck a hat-trick in the 5-1 quarter-final second leg triumph against Iranian side Saipa but limped off shortly before half-time at Hindmarsh Stadium two weeks ago with an apparent hamstring injury as Zico’s side were hit by three second-half goals.

The 26-year-old subsequently missed the back-to-back 1-0 domestic wins over Shurtan and AGMK which helped Kuruvchi open up a seven point lead over defending champions Pakhtakor at the top of the table.

But Villanueva is set to feature on Wednesday with Zico’s side needing goals for the second consecutive Champions League tie on home soil following the 2-2 quarter-final first leg draw in Iran.

“He can play the whole game,” said Zico. “He is in good form and if he plays from the start he will play for the full 90 minutes.”

Despite the first leg setback, Zico has insisted the tie is far from over after the “unfair” result in Australia - a point echoed by Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar.

And with former World Player of the Year Rivaldo, Villanueva and goalscoring midfielder and captain Server Djeparov leading a host of Uzbekistan internationals, Kuruvchi are confident of engineering a turnaround.

“We have prepared for the game and we will try and show our best. We have 90 minutes and maybe more,” said the Brazilian.

“Football is football and history has proven it is possible. If the players play as they should the result will take care of itself.

“We must attack, but the defence must play better because in the first game we allowed them to score three goals.

“This team beat Saipa 5-1, and although it was under a different coach, the players are still the same.”

Since his surprise move to Uzbekistan, Rivaldo has been in good form domestically and on the continental stage and is in a confident mood heading into Wednesday’s second leg despite admitting his disappointment following the setback in Adelaide.

“It is impossible to play well in every match. Football is unpredictable. We were favourites, but the result wasn’t good for us. It’s football,” he said.

“I think the Australians are not so strong and we will prove it in the second leg.”