Ivankovic believes his Persepolis side can become the first Iranian side to lift ACL trophy if it overcomes a four-goal deficit against Al Hilal in the second leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.

“We may have lost 4-0 in the first leg, but we are here to win. It is a new day and a new game, so we don’t want to look back,” the Croat told the-afc.

“Naturally, this is a difficult situation, but there are many examples of teams that have come from behind.”

Ivankovic, who spent a season in Saudi Arabia with Ettifaq, knows Al Hilal well and he is full of respect for his opponents.

“Al Hilal is one of the best teams in Asia, but so are we. We are proud of being in the AFC Champions League semi-final. If we qualify to the final, I am certain we will be Asian champion; a team that can turn around a 0-4 score is champion material,” Ivankovic said.

“We are focused and optimistic about the game. We will focus on the available players who will fight to get a result,” he concluded.