Defeat for either will be a tremendous blow to their hopes of advancing to the next round, with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor on three points and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates with just one to their name from five matches.

It has been a difficult season for Pakhtakor with the 16-time Uzbekistan champions bringing the curtains down on their domestic campaign with a sixth place finish.
They have struggled on the continent as well, heading into the tie against Al Ain on a run of six matches without victory ((D3 L3) but did defeat the Emirati side 3-1 in their last meeting – in the group stage of the AFC Champions League™ ۲۰۲۳/۲۴٫

Having lifted the AFC Champions League trophy for a second time following last season’s triumph, Al Ain were expected to be challenging for the title but have instead found victories hard to come by.
The opening day 1-1 draw with Qatar’s Al Sadd SC has been followed by four consecutive defeats and another loss on Tuesday will seem them equaling their worst ever run on the continental stage.
They are, however, on a run of having scored in their last 12 matches on the continent and will be hoping Soufiane Rahimi finds his scoring boots, with the Moroccan not having scored in the past two matches and needing one goal to join Asamoah Gyan as Al Ain’s all time top scorers in the competition – with the Ghanaian on 18 goals.