Tasnim - Iranian national football team coach Carlos Queiroz said his team is determined to defeat Bahrain in its first Group C match.

Iran will play Bahrain at the Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on Sunday.

“We must treat every game like a final. Expectations are very high and we have to win our first match,” the Portuguese coach said.

“Bahrain is a strong team and has played nine friendly matches so far. We will do our best to defeat them,” he added.

Asked him if Iran has a chance to win the title, Queiroz said, “All of the teams have the big dreams. Now, we have concentrated on Bahrain. The team has some many good players and we respect them.”

Iran's preparations took a hit this week when versatile full-back Hashem Beikzadeh broke his hand in training on Wednesday, compounded by the fact fellow defender Pejman Montazeri is out of the tournament due to a calf injury.
“It is unfortunate that Beikzadeh is injured just before the Asian Cup. This is a big damage for us as with Pejman injured, we have two main players in our defensive line that are out,” former Real Madrid coach added.