TEHRAN – Esteghlal coach Winfried Schaefer says Zob Ahan are a difficult team to beat but they fight for victory against them. Just five days after claiming Iran’s Hazfi Cup title, Esteghlal will meet domestic rivals Zob Ahan for the first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League Round of 16 at the Foolad Shahr […]
TEHRAN – Esteghlal coach Winfried Schaefer says Zob Ahan are a difficult team to beat but they fight for victory against them.
Just five days after claiming Iran’s Hazfi Cup title, Esteghlal will meet domestic rivals Zob Ahan for the first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League Round of 16 at the Foolad Shahr Stadium on Tuesday.
“First of all, I have to say we are not happy to play Zob Ahan in this stage. I think the Asian Football Confederation’s officials should change their system and two teams from a same country should not play together in the early stages,” Schaefer said.
“Zob Ahan like to play a lot of long balls and they are dangerous at set-pieces. They take advantage of the tall players who are successful in the aerial challenges,” the German coach added.
“We know Zob Ahan are a good team but we travel to Isfahan to fight for a good result. Esteghlal want to book a place in the AFC Champions League quarter-final,” he concluded.
