Kamyabinia wary of Kashima’s danger men

AFC – KASHIMA, Kamal Kamyabinia has revealed that Persepolis are fully aware of which Kashima Antlers players pose the biggest threat as the two sides prepare to lock horns in the first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League final at Kashima Soccer Stadium on Saturday.

The Iranian team have produced a trio of memorable wins in the knockout rounds, culminating in edging past Qatar’s Al Sadd in the semi-finals less than two weeks ago to raise hopes of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s first AFC Champions League title.

But they now face arguably their biggest test yet following the long trip to Japan against a Kashima side who were unbeaten in the quarter- and semi-finals and have scored 11 goals in their past five games on the continent.

“We’ve watched both legs of their semi-final and have studied their style of play. We know that two of their more dangerous players are number nine (Yuma Suzuki) and Serginho, their number 18,” said Kamyabinia, who is likely to anchor the midfield on Saturday.

“They’re both very good players and we must pay particular attention to them during the game, and I need to do my best to prevent through-balls going to them.

“I understand that my position is very important, but the head coach is always telling me to focus on both my defensive and offensive responsibilities because I also have to try and initiate attacks by playing balls to the forwards.”

Kamyabinia played a major part in Persepolis’ march to their maiden semi-final in 2017, before they were defeated by eventual runners-up Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia as Iran’s long wait for the AFC Champions League title continued.

But Branko Ivankovic’s side returned even stronger this time round and have overcome a number of obstacles in reaching the final, most notably reversing first leg deficits against Al Jazira and Al Duhail in the knockout rounds.

It is the seventh time Persepolis have participated in the continental competition and Saturday will mark their first appearance in the final, while it will also be the first time the Tehran side have faced opposition from East Asia.

“In West Asia, teams are much stronger at home than they are away, and they are very good at frustrating the opposition so it’s difficult to play your normal game away from home,” said Kamyabinia, who has won successive Iranian Pro League titles with Persepolis.

“But in East Asia, teams like Kashima seem to play the same way at home as they do away, their game plan doesn’t really change. Rather than settle for a draw, they always fight to win the game.

“It’s very difficult to win our domestic league and we have now done it many times, but it would be something extra special to win the AFC Champions League because this is our first time in the final. We will do whatever it takes to get our hands on the trophy.”