Iran vs. Syria Asian Championship qualifying game

Almost everyone bets that tomorrows match against Iran in Aleppo and the next one in Tehran are the two decider games that will identify the winner of this group and the team that will compete in Beirut late this summer. 

Our matches with Iran are also becoming somewhat anti-climax, as the best we have done for a couple of decades was a fairly recent draw. The last time we managed to defeat Iran was some 26 years ago and that was in Tehran during world cup 1974 qualification games. Will our men establish a second win and an important want as well, for the record books tomorrow against the Iranians? 

Let us not be too over enthusiastic, and should deal with this matter by the existing facts. On the other hand there is no point of being despondent either. We must seriously consider our chances and take advantage of the positive points & measures of this match in favor of our men. Our supporters and the pitch are the most important factors that can depend upon and we must exploit this to the maximum for a win? 

The Iranians arrived Wednesday night, and played against the Maldives on Friday. There is nothing mysterious about the Iranians, as our coaches, players, media and even our supporters know everything that is to know about Iran, the team and its players. Unfortunately, this abundant of information does not auger well for our team, as Iran is definitely one step above us in every department. Their power, skill, stamina, tactics and history are well above our team standard. We must, in any case, work on the very few factors that are leaning toward us in Aleppo, which is basically the supporters, whom we have big faith in. The vocal patriotic supporters of Aleppo in addition to the support from other areas could well shake the Iranian confidence and affect their morale pushing forcing them in committing critical mistakes. 

In theory the chances of the Iranians are better than ours in winning not only this match against us, but in fact all the matches of this group. The Iranians are determined to clinch the only qualifying place of this group. Our players should understand this fact that as underdogs, we need to challenge all expectations and firmly deal with the Iranians’ over confidence, surprise them in Aleppo by winning and avoid defeat in Tehran. That is the only method that we can enjoy the glamorous night of Beirut in a few months from now. 

Iran has a strong selection, which contains some of the best Asian players including professionals such as Daei, Mahdavikia, Azizi and Bagheri and the rest. If we succeed in tight marking of the Iranian forwards, plus good control of the middle of the field with some adventurous onslaught on their goalkeeper, we just might surprise them with a win in Aleppo, in which case the duel in Tehran would be that much more interesting. 

Our own team has its fair share of professional players also, and they are all ready to assist in our efforts in qualification. The team skipper and playmaker, Mohamed Alafash, striker and pivotal forward Sayed Ba'Yazid and the experienced midfielder Khalid AlDha'hir will add more power, confidence and skill to the home based players. The match will start at five on Sunday afternoon, and we hope that it ends with a win for our team.