Iran's U-23 National Team Departing for China on Wednesday Afternoon

Iran's U-23 national team is set to depart for China on Wednesday afternoon for their third match in the Olympic qualifying series for the Athens Olympics. According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Nader Faryad Shirani, the coach of the U-23 national team, announced in an interview that Javad Kazemian has joined the training sessions and that the injuries of Navidkia, Kashi, and Mobali have improved. Kazemian joined the national camp on Tuesday and is in better spirits, although he experienced some knee discomfort during this morning's practice, and Kashi performed light training due to a muscle strain. He stated that they have started their main training sessions since the second of Farvardin (March 22) and will have morning and afternoon practices tomorrow, with a flight scheduled around 8:45. Faryad Shirani emphasized the coaching staff's continued efforts to boost the players' morale, noting, 'China's draw against Malaysia reflects the hard work of the Malaysian players. The coaching staff is not concerned about the win or loss of China or Malaysia; their only goal is to qualify for the Olympics, and this draw was entirely in our favor.' The U-23 coach added that the overall condition of the team is better than before the match against South Korea, and currently, with the recovery of injured players, the motivation to defeat China has increased.