Speaking at the pre-match news conference on Friday, Mazloumi said, “We’ve seen their films and have a good knowledge about them. Al-Ettifaq will play as the other Arabian teams play in their away games. They’ve come here to stop us. But we are ready to beat them.”
“Mojtaba Jabbari will more likely play against Al-Ettifaq and this is a good news. Andranik Teymourian and Milad Meydavoudi cannot play as they are injured and Ferydon Zandi is a doubt,” Esteghlal coach added.
Meanwhile, Branko Ivankovic has not come to Tehran, reportedly because Iranian authorities are seeking unpaid taxes from him of around €200,000.
The 57-year-old was previously the coach of the Iran national team, leading them to a third-place finish in the 2004 Asian Cup as well as a successful qualification for the 2006 World Cup finals.
The winner of Saturday's match will join Qatar's Al Rayyan, Uzbekistan's Nasaf, and the UAE's Al Jazira in Group A of the ACL.