TEHRAN – Persepolis head coach Yahya Golmohammadi says that they know how strong Pakhtakor are but they are ready to defeat them.

The Iranian giants are scheduled to meet Pakhtakor on Wednesday in the AFC Champions League (west) quarter-finals at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday.

Pakhtakor defeated Iranian team Esteghlal to reach quarters, while Persepolis edge Al Sadd of Qatar.

“First of all, I wish good health for Shota Arveladze who suffers from COVID-19 and wish him a speedy recovery,” Golmohammadi said.

“We expect a very tough match because Pakhtakor are physically strong but we are ready. We have passed difficult situation to reach the stage and don’t want to lose our chance easily.  Our players are highly-motivated for this match and are ready for this tough challenge mentally,” he added.

“We have to play a team who have had one extra day of rest compared to us and are in good condition. Pakhtakor are an organized well-disciplined team and we will have to play with more energy against them,” he added.

“It will not be an easy match for us for sure but we are determined to fight for our place in the semis. There will always be ups and downs and you will likely score an early goal and concede and early goal too but I think our players have already experienced these parts of football and can fight back,” the former Iran defender stated.

“Persepolis players will never get tired of winning and our fans send us their positive energy and support us from distance. We hope we can make our fans happy,” Golmohammadi concluded.