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AFCCL - Sepahan striker
Mahmoud Karimi looks set to start on the bench for the second leg of the AFC
Champions League final against Urawa Reds on Wednesday evening after failing
to fully recover from a calf injury.
Karimi scored the Iranian side's equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the first leg
in Esfahan last Wednesday but he is likely to be one of two changes to coach
Luka Bonacic's starting line-up for the second leg at a sold-out Saitama
Stadium.
"I need to look at him but he is not ready," said Bonacic. "I will see how
he is and look at the game and maybe he will play for the last 30 minutes if
he can make a difference."
Karimi's absence is a major loss for Sepahan with the 29-year-old causing
Urawa numerous problems with his pace and movement last week at Foolad Shahr
Stadium.
However, the diminutive forward had to be replaced midway through the second
half by Hossein Kazemi after picking up the injury.
Jalal Akbari is likely to be the other absentee for Sepahan, with Bonacic
unhappy with the midfielder's form and he is expected to be replaced by Jaba
Mujiri.
Sepahan go into the game knowing they must score to have any chance of
becoming the first Iranian side to win the AFC Champions League, but goals
have been hard to come by in the knockout phase of the competition for
Bonacic's team.
The Iranians won their quarter-final clash with J.League side Kawasaki
Frontale in a penalty shootout after two goalless draws while they also
failed to find the back of the net in the second leg of their semi-final
against Al Wahda from the United Arab Emirates.
And while Bonacic concedes his team's lack of a cutting edge is a concern,
he is convinced the team - and in particular Iraqi striker Emad Ridha - have
solved their goalscoring problems in recent weeks.
"I'm a little bit scared but in the last three weeks we have improved our
form," he said. "In the last few games we have been scoring goals and we are
playing much better than when we played Kawasaki Frontale.
"Our Iraqi player, Emad Ridha, has gone up in form and I'm hoping that we
will be better than we were against Kawasaki.
"Sometimes my players surprise me, like they did in the second half (of the
first leg) against Urawa. Unfortunately we didn't score two goals to win but
tomorrow maybe my players will do something new. I am sure that we will play
much better than when we came here to play Kawasaki. That gives me hope."
One thing not concerning Bonacic is the huge crowd expected at Saitama
Stadium. More than 61,000 tickets have been sold for the final at the 2002
World Cup venue but the home support holds little fear for the Hazfi Cup
winners.
"We have the experience because in Iran we have the Azadi Stadium which
holds 100,000 people and we played there in the [2006 Hazfi Cup] final
against Persepolis in front of 80,000 people," he said. "So I'm not scared
about this atmosphere."
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