The Iranian national youth football team coach, Armaghan Ahmadi, confirmed that facing the Iraqi national team in a friendly match represents an important stage in his team's preparations for upcoming challenges, especially the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Ahmadi stated during the press conference prior to the match, attended by a correspondent from the Video News Agency, that Iraq invited the Iranian team, expressing his gratitude for the warm hospitality and affirming that Iraq represents "our second country."
He added that the Iranian team began its training about two months ago, and the coaching staff worked during this period to prepare the players and enhance their readiness to face the Iraqi team, noting that a training camp was held in Iran that lasted for ten days.
He explained that the camp focused on enhancing the players' technical and physical readiness, indicating that the youth league in Iran continues despite the security and economic challenges facing the country.
Ahmadi mentioned that facing Iraq will provide the coaching staff with an important opportunity to test the players' readiness and benefit from the exposure before entering the Asian Cup qualifiers.
He pointed out that Iraq and Iran share, in addition to technical and sports ties, strong relationships due to their proximity, emphasizing that such encounters represent an important and fruitful opportunity for both teams.