Iran coach admits lack of preparation ahead of Asian Cup

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz expects his side to advance past the group stage at the Asian Cup despite a lack of preparation.

Queiroz, the former Real Madrid and Portugal coach, has seen his team play only two matches since last year’s World Cup - a 1-0 victory over South Korea in November in Tehran and a win last Sunday over Iraq by the same score in Sydney.

Iran opens its Asian Cup campaign Sunday against Bahrain in Melbourne. The other teams in Group C are the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Queiroz says “no excuses, no sorry, just here to play the game ... and with the team spirit that we’ve been showing in the other games, we have a good chance.”