AFC U-17 Asian Cup Thailand 2023: Iran coach Hossein Abdi confident of positive result against Yemen

Tehran Times – BANGKOK, Iran head coach Hossein Abdi is confident his boys can defeat Yemen in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Thailand 2023 quarterfinal.

The match will be held at the Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok on Sunday.

Iran last reached the knockout stage when it finished runner-up to Iraq in 2016. The Central Asian side is unbeaten in the tournament, scoring eight goals and conceding once with their only blemish being a 0-0 stalemate against Qatar.

Despite finishing top of Group B, head coach Hossein Abdi refused to get carried away even after the impressive 2-0 win over Korea Republic on Matchday Three.

“We’re happy to reach the quarterfinals after a hard-fought match against Korea Republic,” said Abdi. “For our next match we will do the same, analyze our opponents and prepare our game plan accordingly. In this competition, priority is for the development of football, however, the team is confident of beating Yemen.”

Iran fielded the same starting line-up in their last two matches and Abdi said the coaching staff is doing its best to aid the players’ recovery.

“In terms of preparations, we are trying our best to help the players recover after the last game. We have a specific plan for every team and against Korea we only needed a point but we pushed for the victory.

“It will be no different against Yemen. We will certainly have a plan to overcome them,” he added.

“Most of our players have played across three matches and we have to manage not only their fitness but also their mental health as well.

The winner of the Iran-Yemen quarter-final will face the victors of the Japan-Australia tie in the semifinals, with the knockout stage to be decided by penalties if matches end in a stalemate at the end of regulation time.