Queiroz: Big heart and soul give Iran confidence

Iran will take their Asian Cup opener against Bahrain as the championship final, head coach Carlos Queiroz said after the team's training session on Saturday.

"We have big expectations and we're ready to compete and to fight," said the Portuguese coach.

"We have big heart, big soul and big mind -- and we will be ready for tomorrow. We will treat the Bahrain match like it is the Asian Cup final."

Iran finished bottom of the group in the World Cup, scoring only one goal. They plan to save their pride although two key defenders - Hashem Beikzadeh and Pejman Montazeri - were ruled out through injury.

"When I arrived in Iran four years ago there was the situation that when a player leaves or gets injured the whole nation cries for six months," the former Portugal and Real Madrid coach said. "But with the work we've been doing, we now have more solutions and options to cope with injuries."

When asked about Australia's game against Kuwait, the Portuguese said,"I'm a coach, not a spectator. My duty is to focus on our opponents so we're dedicating all our energy and focus on Bahrain. If we play Australia later on in the tournament, I'll sit and watch them."

Iran will take on Bahrain in their Group C opener in Melbourne on Sunday. Endi