Ghalenoy eyes ACL glory for Esteghlal

Dubai: Ardeshir Ghalenoy hopes to lead Iranian side Esteghlal to the Asian Champions League (ACL) title. Only this time he hopes to achieve the feat in the capacity of a coach.

Two-time champions and twice runners-up Esteghlal are one of the most successful clubs in the history of the competition and are among eight that share that record, including Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and Al Ittihad.

Their last title was in 1990-91 when Ghalenoy played for the club. Esteghlal have been drawn in a tough Group C this year alongside UAE's Al Jazira, Umm Salal of Qatar and Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia. Still, Ghalenoy expects to inspire his squad to success.

The 44-year-old said: "I was a player when we won the title in 1991 and I think it will be great if I can repeat that success as a coach.

"We have a good management looking after the club and a good group of players with international experience. I think it is a tough group, but our preparation has been good and we want to do this for our fans."