Iran seek WAFF Championship lift

AFC - Hosts Iran will be looking to get off to a good start when they play Lebanon at the Azadi Stadium in their opening match of the West Asian Football Federation Championship 2004 on Thursday.

While Team Melli will be seeking to reclaim the WAFF Championship title that they relinquished to Iraq two years ago, the tournament is also key preparation for Branko Ivankovic's side as they gear up for next month's Asian Cup 2004 finals in China.

With the continent’s biggest football tournament kicking off in just 30 days time, Iran are in desperate need of a morale booster following their bitter 1-0 home loss to WAFF Championship rivals Jordan in last week's FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifiers that has put their World Cup qualification hopes in serious jeopardy.

Iran are the favourites in Group B, which also includes Lebanon and Syria, both of whom to qualify for the Asian Cup finals. Picking up some good results at the WAFF Championship would be the perfect tonic for the side as they prepare to take on the likes of defending champions Japan, Oman and Thailand in China.



Ivankovic will be hoping that his team can rediscover their scoring touch after the dismal outing in front of goal against Jordan. Despite creating a number of chances, the much vaunted Iranian strike force could not find a way past Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi Sabbah and were made to pay when Haitham Al Shboul scored Jordan's late winner on the counter-attack.

The Iran coach certainly has no shortage of talent in his attack which includes the evergreen Ali Daei, 2003 AFC Player of the Year Mehdi Mahdavikia and the explosive goalscoring talent of Ali Karimi and Farhad Majidi.

Lebanon's work will certainly be cut out for them as they seek to improve on their performances in the two previous WAFF Championships, where they failed to advance past the group stage on both occasions.

The Lebanese will have to do without talented forward Roda Antar of German Bundesliga side SC Freiburg, who scored a goal and set up two others in their 3-0 win against Maldives in the World Cup Qualifiers last week.

However, Lebanon coach Mahmoud Hamoud will not be without attacking options with playmaker Abbas Atwi, pacy winger Khaled Hamieh and lethal Al Nejmeh striker Ali Naserreddine all expected to start.

Iran have dominated the most recent meetings between the two sides, beating Lebanon 3-0 in Beirut and 1-0 in Tehran during the Asian Cup qualifiers last year.

Group B's remaining matches will be between Lebanon and Syria on Saturday and Iran and Syria next Monday. The top two teams in the group advance to the semi-finals on June 23.