Fans of Persepolis Make Difficult for Any Team: Ali Daei
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran and Persepolis legend Ali Daei says the fans of the Iranian club make difficult for any team who faces it at the Azadi Stadium.
Persepolis will host Al Sadd on Tuesday in the second leg of the AFC Champions League semi-final.
“Persepolis have a very tough match ahead and will need to be at its best to get the result it needs to get to the final,” said Daei in an interview with the-afc.com.
“It has done very well to get this far, and the games it has won [in the second legs] show just how professional the team is and how smart the head coach is.
“It’s been a long time since Iran has won an Asian Cup or a top Asian club competition, but Persepolis now has a chance to win the title and the team must not lose it.”
Daei appeared in just one edition of the AFC Champions League, scoring five goals for Saba Battery in the group stage of the 2006 edition, but the side from Qom failed to advance to the knockout rounds.
The 49-year-old’s only coaching experience in the continental competition was in 2011 when he was in charge of Persepolis as it also exited in the group stage. Until last year, meanwhile, the club had never progressed beyond the last 16.
But it’s now appearing in their second successive semi-final and boast a squad of players who continue to rise to the occasion, none more so than when it reversed first-leg deficits against Al Jazira and Al Duhail in the last 16 and quarter-finals to secure stunning comeback wins at Azadi Stadium.
“Persepolis has some very prominent Iranian players,” added Daei. “Alireza Beiranvand is our national team goalkeeper, Jalal Hosseini leads the defensive line very well and up front it has good players such as Ali Alipour, who has helped the side a lot this year.
“Even when losing, Iranian teams never give in at Azadi Stadium, especially Persepolis with the huge number of fans it has, who makes it very difficult for any team who faces it.
“I’ve played twice for Persepolis and know exactly how these supporters drive the players forward and give them confidence. Even when the club has a lot of problems, the fans counterbalance them, and this is an advantage Persepolis has over every other club,” Daei concluded.