TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian national soccer team's coach Carlos Queiroz said that his team's first match in the AFC Asian Cup against Yemen will be a key match in the tournament, Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.
Iran will start the campaign with a match against Yemen on January 7 in Group D at the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
"We are fully ready for the AFC Asian Cup and believe in our abilities. Now, we are focusing on our first match against Yemen. It will be the most important match for us. After this match, we will think about Vietnam and Iraq matches," Queiroz said.
"Undoubtedly, our dream is to reach to the final four. Defending champion Australia, Japan and South Korea will most likely qualify for the semifinals and Iran, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and China have to fight to advance to the semis as the fourth team," he continued.
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates from January 5 to February 1.
