TEHRANTIMES - Rostov Iranian midfielder Saeid Ezatollahi, who has spent a year in Atletico Madrid C, is quite excited after the Russian side was drawn in Group D of the UEFA Champions League alongside his former team Atletico Madrid, giant Bayern Munich and Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven.

“When I moved here in Rostov from Atletico Madrid, a lot of people said that it was a mistake but in fact I worked hard and now we’re in the UEFA Champions League group stage,” Ezatolahi said.

“I’m so happy that we’ve been drawn alongside the biggest teams in Europe. Bayern Munich has been in the semifinals in the recent years while Atletico is a big club and has reached the final twice in the last two years. We will play against players whom we wished to take selfie with before,” he added.

“Xabi Alonso is my favorite player and I could play against him at Allianz Arena. These games against Bayern, Atletico and PSV would teach us important lessons while could be considered as a launching pad for any of us at Rostov. We will make every effort to have the best performance against them maybe this could change our future,” Iranian international added.

Rostov, who has not qualified for the Champions League group stage before, will take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on September 13.