Tehran Times - Esteghlal coach Winfried Schafer says that they have chance of defeating the UAE’s Al Ain.
The Iranian giants will face Al Ain at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Group D of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.
Esteghlal lead the group and will certainly maintain their supremacy in the ACL group stage with a win over the Emirati football team.
“We expect to face a strong team who play football well but we know what we want. Esteghlal want to maintain their position in the table,” Schafer said in the pre-match news conference.
“We’ve analyzed Al Ain in their derby and have a good knowledge about their strengths and weakness. We will beat Al Ain if we keep confidence in our game,” the German coach added.
Pointing out that Al Ain take advantage of an iconic player Omar Abdulrahman, Schafer said, “I know Omar Abdulrahman since he was 17. He came to our team with his brother and had a brilliant way to reach the top level in Asian football. Omar listens to his coach and stays mentally strong.”
Esteghlal lost to Al Ain 6-1 last year but Schafer says he is not worried about the result because they are well-prepared to face the team.
“We are a new team with a new mentality. We want to defeat Al Ain, that’s why we are here. Esteghlal have a good chance of beating them,” former Al Ain coach concluded.