ACL QF 2nd Leg Preview: Naft Tehran vs. Al Ahli
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading...AFC – DUBAI, Former Iran international midfielder Iman Mobali remains sidelined for Naft Tehran as Alireza Mansourian’s team aims to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in the second leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
Mobali, one of Naft’s key creative figures, was ruled out of the first leg in Tehran due to injury and he remains absent as the team who finished third in last season’s Iranian league seek a win that will take them into the semi-finals of the continental club championship for the first time in their history.
Al Ahli’s recent Brazilian signing Lima scored the only goal of the game in the first leg and Mansourian knows his team face a tough challenge to swing the balance back in their favour.
“We will go into the match with only one option and that is to win after losing the first leg,” said the former Iran World Cup midfielder.
“The two teams have equal chances to go through to the semi-finals and the winners tomorrow will go all the way to the final and could win the title.”
Mansourian (pictured right) called on Dubai’s large Iranian expatriate population to turn out to support his side, who are seeking their first win of the new season after being held to a 3-3 draw by Malavan in the domestic league last month.
“The players are still holding on to our chances in the match and they will give their best in order to qualify,” he said. “I hope that the Iranian fans will show up tomorrow to support us especially that our opponents are playing at home and in front of a big crowd.”
The lingering summer heat in the United Arab Emirates – where temperatures during the day are still in excess of 35 degrees centigrade – will undoubtedly have an impact on the game, but Mansourian conceded his team would have to do their best to cope.
“The weather in Dubai is hotter than the weather in Tehran but we have to deal with that,” he said. “We hope that we can cope with all the conditions and have a good performance in order to achieve a positive result.”
