QF – Preview: IR Iran v Japan

AFC – Doha, Hajime Moriyasu expects his Japan side to advance to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, just as they did in five of the last six editions of the continental showpiece.

Standing in their way at Education City Stadium on Saturday are Islamic Republic of Iran, with the Samurai Blue holding an unbeaten record against their opponents at the AFC Asian Cup (W2 D2).

Moriyasu, while confident of Japan’s chances, said his side will not make the mistake of underestimating Iran, despite the absence of star striker Mehdi Taremi due to suspension.

“Obviously it will be a very tough match due to the schedule but whatever the circumstances, we have to perform,” said Moriyasu. “I think Iran have the same number of rest days,  just that we have played less minutes. It’s a match between two big teams in Asia so I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Every match we have conceded at least one goal, which is not something we want. In every game, we made mistakes and we need to adjust these small things so that we can win the match.

“Taremi may be suspended but they still have (Sardar) Azmoun as well as other attacking players who can hurt us. We have to concentrate on our defensive line to stop them but that doesn’t mean that we deploy a different tactic just because Taremi isn’t there.”

The clash of the Asian footballing heavyweights, who share seven AFC Asian Cup title wins between them, is an equally captivating one for Iran head coach Ardeshir Ghalehnoy.

Ghalehnoy’s side were pushed to the limit by Syria before winning their Round of 16 tie on penalties, with recovery being the main focus for the 60-year-old former Esteghlal FC head coach.

“This could have been the final but now we face off in the quarter-final,” said Ghalehnoy. “Japan are a very good team and now, in the knockout stage, they are showing a much better performance than they showed in the group stage

“But Iran are a good team as well. We did really well against Syria. In the group stage, they only allowed four shots in the three matches but we managed to produce 11 shots against them.

“For tomorrow’s match, we have less recovery than Japan. We could have finished the match early against Syria but we lost a lot of opportunities. We tried to make the recovery from two aspects, in terms of supplements as well as mentally.

“Eighty million people are following the result of the national team and the players know that. We will give everything for the national team.”