TEHRAN, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Esteghlal and Persepolis were ready to face their AFC Champions League opponents.

Esteghlal will face Al Rayyan of Qatar in Group D, while Persepolis will have their first League match against Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi in Group C.

"We know how good Al Rayyan are but we want to defeat them, that's why we are here. Al Rayyan have several good players but as I've already said we are going to defeat them," Esteghlal coach Winfried Schafer said in the pre-match news conference.

Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic said Monday, "The first match always is the hardest match. We respect Nasaf and know that the Uzbek team have won four matches out of their five matches."