The substitute striker scored twice in the first Group C clash between the two sides on Saturday as Uzbekistan turned on the style in the second half to win 3-1.

However, Geynrikh did not board the plane to Malaysia with the Pakhtakor striker struggling with the injury that restricted him to the bench at the weekend.

But Abramov is confident that Uzbekistan can overcome his absence and still get a positive result as they look to close on a place in Qatar.

“He is a little injured and that is why we have decided not to bring him to Kuala Lumpur," he said.

"I don’t think that it will be too much of a problem as we still have other players like Bakhodir Nasimov who can take over."

Asked if the hot and humid weather in Kuala Lumpur - which will be a stark contrast to the freezing conditions in Tashkent - will be an issue, Abramov added: “it will be a factor but it will not be an issue as we are used to hot and humid conditions. We will adjust.”

Prior to the game against Uzbekistan a few days ago, Malaysia had suffered a 5-0 home defeat to United Arab Emirates in their first game of the qualifiers.

And the National Stadium will once again bear witness as the young Malaysian side look to erase the bitter memories of losing 5-0 to Uzbekistan in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

“We have to be positive considering we will be playing the game in the heat as compared to last week, which was in freezing conditions,” said coach K. Rajagobal.

“I hope that we can find the spark for us to complete the qualifiers on a respectable note when we play Uzbekistan next and then the UAE in early January.”

As far as his squad is concerned, Rajagobal added that the only question mark is on defender Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak, who took a knock in Tashkent.

“We will look at his condition before deciding on whether he will get to start the match against Uzbekistan,” he added