Iran will be the team to beat in Group D of the Asian Cup as it aims to secure a record-extending 13th title after falling to a 3-2 defeat to Japan in the 2022 final.
Four-time AFC Futsal Player of the Year Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh will return to the fold in the absence of 2022 Yili Top Scorer Hossein Tayyebi, who is sidelined through injury, the-afc.com wrote.
Iran is scheduled to face Afghanistan on Thursday at the Bangkok Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
“We had a training camp, 35 days before the tournament including a series of friendlies against Vietnam, Morocco and New Zealand in Ho Chi Minh City,” said head coach Vahid Shamsaee.
“Hossein Tayyebi couldn’t recover in time for this tournament. However, despite losing one of our best players, the team are well prepared to achieve our targets in this competition.
“Afghanistan is a talented team and can certainly spring a surprise in this tournament. It is very technical and we analyzed it as much as we could and we believe it will be a challenging match,” he added.