‘Stop Nilmar to stop Al-Rayyan,’ Ghalenoei says

Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Esteghlal coach Amir Ghalenoei said on Monday that to defeat Al-Rayyan they have to take Nilmar out of the match.

Esteghlal will host Al-Rayyan in Group D of the AFC Champions League in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Tuesday.

Ghalenoei said his tactics for the match against the Qatari team revolve around making sure Brazilian Nilmar has not space to launch his more attacking team-mates.

“Esteghlal could qualify for the next round if we win the match. We need to take their midfielders out of the match, especially Nilmar,” Ghalenoei said in a post-match news conference.

“Esteghlal is well-prepared for the match and we are ready to beat Al-Rayyan. We are concentrating on two remaining match,” Esteghlal coach added.

Esteghlal is at the top of the Group D with seven points, followed by Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates and Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia both with six points.

Al-Rayyan remains at the bottom of the table with four points.