Pitso Mosimane and his new side Esteghlal could face Brazilian superstar Neymar in their clash against Saudi giants Al Hilal on Monday evening.
The South African tactician has suffered two defeats since joining the Iranian giants and has another tough task at hand on Monday in the Asian Champions League when they will meet treble winners Al Hilal.
Mosimane himself has fond memories of facing Al Hilal, beating them 4-0 at the FIFA Club World Cup with Al Ahly in 2022.
However, on Monday his task could be made even harder by the return of Brazilian superstar Neymar, who is back in the squad after recovering from his long-term injury.
“If everything goes as planned, Neymar will be in the squad for the match,” Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said in his pre-match press conference, as per Saudi Gazette.
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“We will make some line-up adjustments for the Esteghlal game, finalizing decisions after the last training session.”
Mosimane, meanwhile, hopes his side will not give their opponents, who have lost just one of their last 69 games under Jesus, too much respect.
“Our recent form hasn’t been good. We’re coming to play against a very big team with a lot of stars,” Mosimane said, as per Koora.
“Winning against Al-Hilal is not easy, but we’re here to play and we will respect the opponent, but I hope we don’t over-respect, and I hope my team plays to the best of its ability.”
