Persepolis will meet Esteghlal on Saturday in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium in Iran Professional League (IPL).
“First, I would like to express my sympathies for victims of flood in Iran. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family in this sad time,” Ivankovic said in the pre-match news conference.
“I think the match against Esteghlal will be the best start for us in the New Iranian Year. You know where Persepolis and Esteghlal are in the table and it will make the derby more important. We finished the last year as the leader and want to keep it going in the New Year,” the Croat added.
“We are challenging in three tournaments in this season. Persepolis has qualified for Hazfi Cup semis and will try to advance to the AFC Champions League knockout stage. We also want to win Iran Professional League for the third year in a row,” Ivankovic said.
“We will always play to win, however we will have a difficult task in this season since Sepahan, Tractor Sazi and Padideh are also favorites to win the title as well as Esteghlal,” he concluded.