Head coach of Iranian "Persepolis" Yahya Gulmuhammadi in a pre-match press conference shared his expectations from the 1/8 finals of the AFC Champions League with Istiqlol.
«We understand the importance of this game, and we know who we will fight on the field. Istiqlol is a young and ambitious team with very good defense. It will definitely not be easy for us. We have done a great job to get to the 1/8 finals stage and are ready for the upcoming battle. We have a lot of experienced players in our squad who have played in the Champions League finals. We are confident in ourselves and hope for a positive result in the upcoming match. We really hope that September 14 will be joyful for us», stated the mentor of Persepolis.
At the briefing, the acting head coach of Istiqlol Mubin Ergashev said that getting to the 1/8 finals ⁃ is a great event for our country, for the first time in the history of Tajik football a match of this level will take place. This was reported by the press service of the Dushanbe club.
He stressed that his players are in the most serious mood for the match, and he hopes for a positive outcome of the game.
«Unfortunately, Andrey Mishchenko and Rustam Yatimov cannot help the team. The opponent is strong, the finalist of the Champions League 2018 and 2020. We studied the games of "Persepolis", we have enough information. Our main trump card in this confrontation is our dear fans, who will provide us with tremendous support. With their help, we hope to win the match», Ergashev noted.
The captain of the Dushanbe "Istiqlol" Alisher Jalilov, answering the journalists' questions, said that in the match with "Persepolis" they will fight from the first to the last minute.
We have great respect for our opponent, but we are not afraid. We will leave all our forces on the field, we will fight from the first to the last minute», Jalilov said.
The 1/8 finals of the AFC Champions League-2021 Istiqlol (Tajikistan) – Persepolis (Iran) will take place on September 14 in Dushanbe at the Central Republican Stadium. The match starts at 20:00.
