ACL RD16 2nd Leg: Al Hilal vs. Persepolis – Preview

AFC – RIYADH, Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic has cautioned his side against underestimating Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the second leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 encounter on Tuesday as the Iranians look to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Persepolis take a slender one-goal advantage into the game after Al Hilal’s Brazilian defender Digao rolled the ball over his own goal line late in the game to give the Iranians the win in the first leg.

“The match is very important for the two sides as the result of the first leg is narrow and anything can happen tomorrow,” said the Croatian coach. “We have a good advantage as we won the first leg but we must give our best tomorrow if we want to qualify.

“Al Hilal are a strong team and they have a great side with good players. They gave a good performance in the first leg but we were successful to get the win which will help us to go into the match tomorrow with an upper hand.”

Victory would be a major boost at the end of a difficult season for the Iranian giants, who have struggled in their domestic league, finishing eighth in the standings and appointing Ivankovic too late in the campaign to have a positive impact on their domestic form.

The former Iran coach, however, has worked hard to make an impact on the team in the AFC Champions League and he and his side now stand 90 minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001.

Persepolis will again be without Brazilian midfielder Gabriel and midfielder Mehrdad Kafshgari, who both missed the first leg due to injury, but Ivankovic believes his team can do enough to advance.

“Our opponents will go into the match with great determination to win and they will be relying on their home advantage and their fans to achieve this result,” he said. “However, I’m confident that our side can stop them and we will continue in the competition.”