Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Saman Ghoddos will miss Iran's upcoming friendly matches against Uzbekistan and Russia. The Football Federation of Iran confirmed the absence of the two key internationals due to injury.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei had planned to include both players in his squad but injuries have forced a change. Jahanbakhsh, who recently returned from a short-term injury, will remain with his club Excelsior Rotterdam to complete his recovery. Ghoddos is ruled out with a back problem.
The friendlies are part of Iran's preparation for upcoming international competitions. Iran currently sit third in their World Cup qualifying group with 3 points from three games. The team is on an unbeaten run of five matches, with two wins and three draws in that sequence.
Their last outing was a 1-1 draw with Egypt. Next up is the trip to Uzbekistan.
With the two midfielders unavailable, Ghalenoei will have to turn to other options from the squad list for the match at Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent.
The original report is at Tehran Times Sport
