TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Branko Ivankovic said that players for Iranian soccer side Persepolis feel the enthusiasm of their fans against the Qatari outfit Al Duhail in the Asian Champions League, the Tehran Times daily reported on Sunday.
Persepolis will host the Qatari giants in Tehran's Azadi Stadium in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarterfinals on Monday.
The Reds lost to Al Duhail 1-0 two weeks ago in Doha.
"We lost to Al Duhail 1-0 in the first half and now we will host them in the second half in our home. We know how strong they are but Persepolis are not weaker than Al Duhail," Ivankovic said in the pre-match news conference.
"Persepolis had a good performance in the first leg in Doha against such a strong team and we will have a difficult match with a star-studded team on Monday. The 1-0 result keeps alive both teams' hopes of qualifying for the semifinals. However, Al Duhail will play with less pressure since they have won the first leg," the Croat added.
Persepolis' key midfielder Siamak Nemati will be missing the vital match due to a suspension.
"Unfortunately, Nemati is absent and Mahini (Hossein) and Resan (Bashar) sustained injuries last week but they will play on tomorrow. They will not think about their injuries in the match against Al Duhail," he added.
Ivankovic called on Persepolis fans to get behind their team against Al Duhail.
