Mes Sungun will open the competition with a match against Sipar Khujand of Tajikistan in Group D on Thursday.
“We are happy to be here and our preparations have gone well. Our team has done a good job tactically and technically and we look forward to playing our first match against FC Sipar,” Bigham Tabrizi said in the pre-match news conference.
“It is not going to be easy as we have not analyzed Sipar in terms of strength but I believe we can produce the desired result," he added.
Iranian clubs have a habit of making the semi-final since the first edition in 2010 and have produced three different champions but Tabrizi was coy when asked about his team’s chances of winning the tournament.
“This is a tough group to be in and I respect all the teams. Yes, on paper we are strong with many good players in our squad but we will take it slow and hope for the best,” Tabrizi concluded.