TEHRAN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The coach of Iran's Esteghlal soccer team, Farhad Majidi, said Sunday that they are not afraid to play any team in the forthcoming 2020 AFC Champions League, Mehr news agency reported.
The Iranian Blues are scheduled to meet Iraq's Al Shorta in Group A at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil on Monday.
"We are ready to show a good performance against Al Shorta, but we're a little worried about our physical fitness because our players are very tired," Majidi said in the pre-match news conference.
"We have analyzed Al Shorta very well and will play for a win," he was quoted as saying.
Esteghlal forward Cheick Diabate will be absent in this match after he suffered a foot injury in the Iran league but Majidi is not worried about that.
"Diabate is a great player but we have other players to fill his place," Majidi added. Enditem
