Iran's players gear up for the Round of 16 clash.
Doha, Qatar: Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has warned his Iran side against making mistakes when they take on Syria in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16 at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium today.
Team Melli topped Group C with the full nine points, in the process scoring seven goals and conceding just two, but now face the challenge of a Syria team who were one of the most defensively sound sides of the group stage, having conceded only one goal in Group B.
“I think this is one of the most important matches in this tournament,” said Ghalenoei.
Iran coach, Amir Ghalenoei
“We will face a team that is disciplined. We should make less mistakes and be tactically and technically better than in our previous two matches. We know that we can’t afford to make any mistakes, we saw Iraq and the UAE get eliminated, so we need to be very careful with our performance.”
Iran are set to miss the services of two key defenders for today’s clash, but Ghalenoei remained confident in his squad’s ability to deliver, urging them to show their quality against a team that is difficult to break down.
“At this moment we don’t have Sadegh Moharrami and Morteza Pouraliganji, but not much else. All of the players we have and the squad we have now can be with us until the next World Cup, so we are not planning on making any generational shifts. Any changes will be gradual.”
Syria players during a training session in Doha.
“I think today football is all about lines and the structure of the team. Hector Cuper had the same style of football in Valencia and all his other teams. We changed the philosophy of the team from defensive to attacking and the stats in the group stage back this up.
“I hope the players can show their quality from a technical point of view. I always tell them that you always have to follow the tactical instructions from the coaching staff, but it is important that you show your individual technical abilities too.”
At the age of 68, Syria head coach Hector Cuper boasts one of the most impressive managerial resumes in the tournament, having reached European finals with Spanish clubs Mallorca and Valencia as well as an Africa Cup of Nations final with Egypt in 2017, and the Argentina tactician believes that despite not winning any of those finals, he can be proud of his achievements.
“I may have been unfortunate in some of the finals,” said Cuper.
Hector Cuper, Syria coach
“I might have made mistakes that cost me these finals, but to be able to reach so many finals including big competitions like the UEFA Champions League is a success in my opinion. I am happy with my career and will keep fighting until the end.
“It is the same here in Syria where I want to be able to help the team bring much needed joy to the Syrian people. No one knows about the result, but what I can promise the fans is that my team will fight for the 90 minutes.”
Facing the second highest ranked Asian team in Iran, the challenge will be complicated for the Eagles of Qasioun who are competing in the AFC Asian Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.
“We know it will be a very difficult game against one of the strongest teams in Asia, but we are excited, motivated and optimistic. We have been preparing as usual, we want to use the positive feelings that we have to push us through," the coach said.
“My ambition right now is to beat Iran, it is not about limited ambition, but in order to reach your bigger ambitions, you always have to pass the first steps first, then we can look into the future.
“Of course there are always surprises in football. Our focus is fully on tomorrow’s game, we want to create another upset and nothing is impossible in football. We have confidence in the players, we want to remain solid and united and advance to the next round.” AFC
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Syria will attempt to derail Iran's bid for a long overdue fourth title when the two sides square off in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16 today. Iran are a team in form, topping Group C with a perfect record of three wins while Syria advanced as one of the best four third-placed teams.
Long overdue
Iran and Syria will meet at the AFC Asian Cup for just the second time, with their first encounter ending in a 0-0 draw in the group stage of the 1980 edition.
Good and bad
Iran have qualified for the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup for the eighth consecutive time; however, they’ve have lost at the first hurdle at three of the last four tournaments - including an extra-time loss and two shootout defeats.
New frontier
Syria will feature in the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in what is their seventh appearance at the tournament; they’ll also be looking to win back-to-back games at the tournament for the first time since 1988 after logging a 1-0 victory over India in their final group stage game of this edition.
Sharp on the ball
Iran have a passing accuracy of 83.7% at Qatar 2023, their highest at any of the last five tournaments; indeed, their 549 passes per game are also their most at any of the last five tournaments.
Tough tackler
Syria's Abdul Rahman Weiss made 11 tackles throughout the group stage, more than any other player in Group B and nearly twice as many as any Iranian player during the group stage (Ehsan Hajisafi – 6).
