Iran Ready to Face Japan in 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Championship: Abdi
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran coach Hossein Abdi says that they are well-prepared for the match against Japan in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Championship semifinals.
The two teams will square off at the Thammasat Stadium on Thursday and both have already qualified for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia.
Abdi will have to do without the suspended duo of forward Yaghoob Barajeh and left-back Abolfazl Zoleikhaei, but believes that his side are nonetheless equipped to face the Japanese challenge.
“This is our fifth game in this tournament with the best in Asia and we are excited to start the game,” he said.
“We have tried our best to get to this stage. We have three days of rest between our last game and this game, which allows us to recover well. Japan is a very good team but we are ready for tomorrow.”
“Playing for a place in the World Cup was more stressful than right now. In the last match, it was stressful because we wanted to score as soon as possible,” the 51-year-old added.
“Every coach has their own philosophy… mine is to make them ready for each match and after that, recover properly - not only physically but also mentally.”
“I started to do this from the first day here - having this winning mindset is very important. I trust the players to take care of themselves during the whole competition,” Abdi concluded.
