PLDC - Seoul, This morning, Amir Ghalenoei along with Andranik Teymourian were present in a pre-match press conference in Seoul. In this meeting, South Korean reporters were very interested in clearing up and discussing the tension that was caused between South Korea and Iran in June, after Team Melli defeated the Koreans in Ulsan.

Ghalenoei AKA The General said, "The match against FC Seoul will be difficult. They are an organized team with good planning. They have good order in their defense and offense. However, we are Esteghlal and have been getting better each game. There are two legs in this semi-final round (home and away), and we have a different strategy for each match. We hope to reach the finals of this year's Champions League."

A Korean reporter asked the Esteghlal coach about his tactics and plans for the match on Wednesday, and Ghalenoei replied, "I am not here to reveal my tactics and strategy. But out of respect for your question, I will say that we have analyzed our opponent, and if we can cut the connection between their midfielders and forward, then we will be successful. They have a target striker, and two very dangerous wingers: one on the left and one on the right. We must stop these wingers from connecting with their striker. In tomorrows match, we are playing to score. In these home-and-away matches, it is important to score on your away-match and try not to get scored on at home."

There has been plenty of drama and tension around this match, which has originated from Iran's last match verses South Korea in Ulsan. Regarding this matter, a Korean reporter asked, "Is this match an all-out war between the two nations?", and Ghalenoei responded, "FIFA's slogan is 'My Game is Fair Play'. Football is a tool for nations to get closer to each other, winning or losing is secondary. This is my view of football. There have been many matches between Iran and Korea, but the important thing is for our two nations to have good memories of each other."

The General added, "The people of Iran see football as a tool for friendship between nations, and we see it as a way for nations to have further dialogue with one another."

By: Arman Tamjidi