Tehran Times - Esteghlal coach Majid Namjoo Motlagh says that his players are tired but they will be ready for Pakhtakor match.
Iran’s Esteghlal will face Uzbek champions Pakhtakor in the 2020 AFC Champions League Round of 16 at Al Janoub Stadium on Saturday.
“We’ve analyzed our opponents and identified their weaknesses and strengths. I hope we show a good performance against them,” Namjoo Motlagh said in the pre-match news conference.
“We played well against Al Ahli but we have several injured players for the match against Pakhtakor. Our players still are a little tired of the previous match but we will do our best to prepare them physically and mentally,” he added.
Al Wahda of the UAE pulled out from the competition due to COVID-19 and Esteghlal advanced from Group A as runners-up behind Al Ahli. Namjoo Motlagh believes that they could have qualified for the knockout stage as the table toppers.
“Esteghlal could have advanced to the Round of 16 as the first team, if Al Wahda had not withdrawn from the competition,” he added.