Persepolis One of Asia’s Strongest Clubs, Nasaf Coach Berdiev Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi head coach Ruziqul Berdiev considers Persepolis of Iran as one of the strongest football club in Asia.
The Uzbek team will have to play Iranian giant Persepolis in Group C of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.
“After beating Jordan’s Al Faisaly in the play-off, we gave some rest to the players, then we started preparations again on February 5. All the players are well, and nobody is injured; I'm happy with that,” Berdiev told the-afc.com.
“We accomplished our first mission, which was qualifying to the group stage and we are happy that after a year's break, we are back in the Champions League,” he added.
“I can say Persepolis is one of the strongest clubs in Asia. The team is top of the Iran Pro League and it plays a disciplined style of football. Of course, the first match is always important; in 2012 we played against Esteghlal in Azadi stadium and it ended 0-0. We will try to do our best again in that stadium,” Berdiev stated.
Asked him which team is their toughest opponent, he said, “Any team can be favorite in our group. Beside Persepolis, we have to play against Al Wasl from UAE and Al Sadd from Qatar. Everybody knows that Xavi is playing in Al Sadd and he is very dangerous. We watched them play and I can say that they like to control the ball. They are currently second in the Qatar Stars League and it means Al Sadd are stronger than before."
"Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about Al Wasl but we know that they have foreign players who can make a difference in any game.”