Pirouzi to throw everything into attack

AFC - Pirouzi manager Ali Parvin says the team will go all-out in search of the goals that will give them an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals of the US$3 million AFC Champions League.

The Iranian champions face Nisa on Thursday needing to win by at least four goals in the first of the day's two matches and then have to hope that Al Talaba can claim a slender victory over Group D leaders Pakhtakor if they're to win the section on goal difference.

"We have a 10 per cent chance to qualify for the semi-finals," said Parvin, a legendary figure for both Pirouzi and the Iranian national team.

"We will play with three or four strikers and score as many goals as we can, and hope that Talaba will help us. We'll have four or five new players in the team."

The changes Parvin announced, which follow Pirouzi's 1-0 defeat to the hosts on Tuesday, will mean three former Iran internationals will be dropped from the starting line-up against Nisa - goalkeeper Davoud Fanaee, captain Mohammadali 'Afshin' Peirovani and 1998 World Cup veteran Hamidreza Estili.

"The first 20 minutes we played poorly. If we had played as we did in the second half we would have won. But we're professional. We win together and we lose together. This is football and you can win and lose," Parvin said.

"The people in Iran saw the game and they know that we played well. This year we're having to learn to lose. We have played badly at times this year."

Pirouzi's coach Hans-Dieter Schmidt led the players in a light-hearted training session on Wednesday aimed at lifting the gloom in the club.

The German avoided any routines that might increase the pressure on the players, instead spending the bulk of training with two hilarious games of sit-down football that brought smiles and laughter to previously glum faces.

"My problem is that the players are very sad about the result," Schmidt explained.

"It's typical of players in countries like Iran. They play with their heart and also they feel the pressure from home. I've told them we have a last chance, but a good chance.

"If we can score four goals anything can happen. Pakhtakor used a lot of their power against us. Al Talaba have good strength, good passing, so it's quite possible that Talaba can win. They still have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals, too."

Like Parvin, Schmidt was confident that, despite the result, Pirouzi's army of fans will have appreciated the team's performance against Pakhtakor and equally will understand that the drain of the club's talent overseas has left them short of scoring power.

"They saw our chances and they know our problems because we don't have a star striker," Schmidt said.

"If we still had Ali Karimi we would have won this tournament, for certain. Even if we had been able to play Mehrdad Minavand, he would have been an excellent player in this tournament.

"We need four goals and maybe they will have to come from four different players, but after two difficult matches our players are tired and to score four goals against any team is not easy."

Schmidt, however, remains optimistic, buoyed in particular by the despondent mood shown by the Nisa contingent around the Tashkent hotel that the teams are sharing.

"Nisa have some problems off the field and they're not well organised in defence," he said.

"If we get an early goal and maybe at least one other before half-time, then anything can happen. Then both teams in the second game will be under even more pressure.

"Nisa play man-to-man in defence and they have problems when players come from midfield. We'll have to change our system slightly because they only play with one attacker.