Portugal aim to step it up against Iran
Thursday, 15 June 2006 11:33Portugal will aim for a vastly improved performance against Iran after struggling to a win in their opening game against Group D minnows Angola.
Coach Luis Felipe Scolari hit out at negative press after the scrappy 1-0 victory but striker Pauleta admitted it had been a below-par performance.
'We have to step it up if we want to go much further in this tournament. We really need to do better,' the striker said.
Pauleta's goal was all that separated Portugal's star-studded line-up from Angola, a war-scarred former Portuguese colony making its World Cup debut.
With stars such as Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and former World Player of the Year Luis Figo, Scolari is targeting the quarter-finals at least.
Portugal are hoping to welcome back influential midfielder Deco, who sat out the Angola game with a leg muscle strain. The Barcelona playmaker returned to training this week but worked out separately from his team-mates.
Deco or no Deco, Portugal will expect to sweep aside an injury-hit Iran, who faltered badly to lose 3-1 against Mexico after a promising first half.
Coach Branko Ivankovic looks set to make dramatic changes with Team Melli teetering on the brink of elimination.
Veteran captain Ali Daei, who holds the world record for international goals but received harsh media criticism for his performance against Mexico, is likely to miss out with a back problem.
'We will have to see what happens in the next few days with Ali Daei,' said Ivanovic.
Goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour, who was also singled out for defensive frailties against Mexico, could also be an uncertain starter.
Injuries to Iran's key Bundesliga players have hit their campaign but Bayern Munich forward Ali Karimi and Hamburg's Mehdi Mahdavikia both trained this week.
