TEHRAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Persepolis soccer club head coach, Branko Ivankovic, said that they've already qualified for the next stage but they are going to defeat Al Sadd to win the Group C title at the 2018 AFC Champions League.
The Iranian giants can finish as table-toppers in Group C if they overcome Al Sadd at Tehran's Azadi Stadium on Monday.
Persepolis have won both of their home games against Uzbekistan's Nassaf and Al Wasl of the UAE and secured their place in the next round following a scoreless draw away at Nasaf two weeks ago.
"Persepolis and Al Sadd have already advanced to the knockout stage but we want to finish the group stage as table-toppers," Ivankovic was quoted as saying by Tehran Times daily.
"We want to show how good we are. Persepolis will face Al Sadd as champions of Iran and we're determined to advance to the knockout stage as winners," the Croat said.
"Al Sadd are a strong team and we have a lot of respect for them. The team take advantage of Xavi who is one of the best players in the world," Ivankovic added.
"Persepolis will do their best to make their fans happy in the match against Al Sadd. We want our fans enjoy a beautiful match," the Persepolis coach stated.
