Mazloomi hints at selection ‘surprises’

AFC – TEHRAN, Esteghlal coach Parviz Mazloomi is eager for his side to make full use of home advantage when they host Al Sadd at the Azadi Stadium but revealed he may spring a couple of selection surprises.

Esteghlal take on the Qataris in their opening Group B encounter looking to get off to a good start but Mazloomi but is well aware of the calibre of opposition the two-time Asian Club Championship winners face in Tuesday’s curtain raiser.

“Al Sadd are an experienced club in Asia, they have taken part in Asian tournaments before and they’ve got good experience,” said Mazloomi.

“They are a respectable team for me but still we are the ones who want the victory.

“We are playing at home and rest assured we’ll be making the most of the conditions. The first three points are always very important when you step into a tournament and this time we want to start like never before. At the same time, we’ll never forget about fair play.

“I arrange the line-up based on my players on the bench. Maybe I don’t send out all my good players in the opening game, I must have some alternatives on the bench in case of injuries or when unpredictable situation occurs.

“I can’t make predictions about the line-up of our rivals. They might make a few changes but we should wait and see what happens.

“When we play in a continental tournament, the names and colours of the teams have no importance. What solely matters is that an Iranian representative is playing an international match. So I’m convinced that we’ll be well supported by football fans on Tuesday.”

Al Sadd came through two play-off games to reach the main draw and boss Jorge Fossati revealed confidence is high among the camp despite failing to win their last two league games.

“It will be a tough game for us, our opponents are very strong but let me also point out that Esteghlal’s rivals will be tough too because they’ll be playing Al Sadd,” said the Uruguayan.
“We all have good self-confidence and I hope we perform well enough to get a good result. I believe whoever plays better on the pitch gets all the points.

“It is true that we have lost our last game but on the other hand, we have recently won two important games in the playoffs and the game against Al Ittihad was very difficult.

“The reason we lost our last game is the tough schedule we have recently had. I am pretty sure if my players recover well enough, they’ll be ready to confront Esteghlal although I have high respect for the host team.

“The game conditions differ from game to game. This won’t be like a domestic league match in Qatar or Iran but an AFC Champions League clash, which means it’s going to be different from any other game,” he added.

“We certainly keep in mind that we must register Al Sadd’s first win against an Iranian team in Iran. That’s what we’re thinking about.”