Karimi on the bench for Saitama showdown

AFCCL - Sepahan striker Mahmoud Karimi looks set to start on the bench for the second leg of the AFC Champions League final against Urawa Reds on Wednesday evening after failing to fully recover from a calf injury.

Karimi scored the Iranian side's equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Esfahan last Wednesday but he is likely to be one of two changes to coach Luka Bonacic's starting line-up for the second leg at a sold-out Saitama Stadium.

"I need to look at him but he is not ready," said Bonacic. "I will see how he is and look at the game and maybe he will play for the last 30 minutes if he can make a difference."

Karimi's absence is a major loss for Sepahan with the 29-year-old causing Urawa numerous problems with his pace and movement last week at Foolad Shahr Stadium.

However, the diminutive forward had to be replaced midway through the second half by Hossein Kazemi after picking up the injury.

Jalal Akbari is likely to be the other absentee for Sepahan, with Bonacic unhappy with the midfielder's form and he is expected to be replaced by Jaba Mujiri.

Sepahan go into the game knowing they must score to have any chance of becoming the first Iranian side to win the AFC Champions League, but goals have been hard to come by in the knockout phase of the competition for Bonacic's team.

The Iranians won their quarter-final clash with J.League side Kawasaki Frontale in a penalty shootout after two goalless draws while they also failed to find the back of the net in the second leg of their semi-final against Al Wahda from the United Arab Emirates.

And while Bonacic concedes his team's lack of a cutting edge is a concern, he is convinced the team - and in particular Iraqi striker Emad Ridha - have solved their goalscoring problems in recent weeks.

"I'm a little bit scared but in the last three weeks we have improved our form," he said. "In the last few games we have been scoring goals and we are playing much better than when we played Kawasaki Frontale.

"Our Iraqi player, Emad Ridha, has gone up in form and I'm hoping that we will be better than we were against Kawasaki.

"Sometimes my players surprise me, like they did in the second half (of the first leg) against Urawa. Unfortunately we didn't score two goals to win but tomorrow maybe my players will do something new. I am sure that we will play much better than when we came here to play Kawasaki. That gives me hope."

One thing not concerning Bonacic is the huge crowd expected at Saitama Stadium. More than 61,000 tickets have been sold for the final at the 2002 World Cup venue but the home support holds little fear for the Hazfi Cup winners.

"We have the experience because in Iran we have the Azadi Stadium which holds 100,000 people and we played there in the [2006 Hazfi Cup] final against Persepolis in front of 80,000 people," he said. "So I'm not scared about this atmosphere."