However, the Energie Cottbus player still expects the 2004 runners-up to overcome their difficulties and progress to the knockout stage for a seventh consecutive time on Wednesday.

China only need a draw against the central Asian side to secure one of the top two spots in Group C but they enter the match at Shah Alam without the suspended duo, who picked up their second yellow cards of the group stage in the 2-2 draw with Iran on Sunday.

"Of course the absence of Zheng Zhi and Li Weifeng will definitely affect our team in the next match as they have played a very important role in the team for our last two matches," said Shao, who netted China's opening goal against Iran.

"In particular, I have been operating very well on the pitch with Zheng Zhi and his absence is a pity, not only for me but for the whole team.

"But after two matches we are doing a better job and hopefully in tomorrow's match we will get a good result."

China coach Zhu feels that there is enough quality in his squad to overcome the absence of Zheng and Li.

"After two matches, we have some players suspended and some players injured but we have got 23 players who have the ability to play good football," said the former Shenzhen Jianlibao boss.

"We are fully prepared for this match. We expect Uzbekistan to cause us a lot of difficulties but we are ready for them.

"We have a number of excellent players and some of them didn't play in the first two matches. Their condition is even better so I might make some changes to our formation tomorrow and I believe it will be a good match."

Uzbekistan coach Rauf Inileyev will also have a player missing through suspension with right-back Islom Inomov out after picking up two yellow cards.

"The problem of missing players is a common one for all teams since we are missing one suspended player ourselves. So I don't think that it will be a big problem for China because they will have other good players to come in for the missing players," the Uzbek boss said.

"We have to prepare very seriously for any match that we play and I am still trying to think what changes we will have to make.

"But I intend to use the best players that we have available for tomorrow's game because of the importance of the game and I will bring in a strong player to replace Inomov."

The Uzbeks won the only previous meeting between the two teams at the Asian Cup with a 2-0 win in the United Arab Emirates in 1996.