TEHRAN – Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic believes they can overcome their one-goal deficit and defeat Al Duhail in the return leg in Tehran.

Persepolis lost to the Qatari giants in the first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.

The Iranian champions will host Al Duhail in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Sept. 17.

“Al Duhail are among the Asian strongest teams but we can defeat them in Tehran in front of our 80,000 fans,” Ivankovic said in the post-match news conference.

“We lost in the first leg and I am not satisfied with the result but a 1-0 loss can keep our hopes alive in the return leg,” he added.

“Persepolis could have equalized the match, however we lost to a team who have defeated their rivals,” Ivankovic concluded.