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Iran's Esteghlal ready to beat Al Sadd: coach says

Xinhua, February 7, 2017 Adjust font size:

Iran's Esteghlal is ready to defeat Qatar's Al Sadd in the AFC Champions League play-off match, Esteghlal head coach Alireza Mnasourian said on Monday.

Despite the massive blow in the transfer market, young talented players of Esteghlal are ready to take on Al Sadd on Tuesday, Mnasourian was quoted by Tehran Times daily as saying.

"This is one of the biggest games of the season for us. We have analyzed Al Sadd and we' re quite familiar with the way they play," he said, adding that "They have world class players like Xavi but we' re not the underdogs."

"However, we have young motivated players and also fabulous fans who are our 12th player on the pitch during in our home games," Mansourian told reporters in the pre-match press conference.

Mansourian referred to the recent FIFA transfer ban on Esteghlal signing new players, saying that "We had two great signings but we lost them due to the ban."

With a total of four Asian championships between them, the 2017 AFC Champions League play-off showdown between Esteghlal and Al Sadd at Tehran's Azadi Stadium is certain to be one to savor with a place in Group A on the line. Endit