The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening match, and with a final group stage clash against a strong Korea Republic outfit still to come, there will be little room for error when they meet a Chinese side chasing their first points of the competition.

While Drulovic believes his side is capable of challenging any team in Thailand, he knows a win on Sunday would make for a much easier path to the last 16 and believes there is no reason why his side can’t be successful against Hao Wei’s side.

With Team Melli Omid facing a 1-0 deficit at the interval, Estili introduced Ghayedi in place of Ali Shojaei, with the shift forcing Allahyar Sayyadmanesh into a positional change after he had led the line in the opening 45 minutes.

The reshuffle paid dividends, with Iran manufacturing five efforts on goal in quick succession after the break; pressure that ultimately produced Reza Dehgani’s equalising goal in the 58th minute.

Uzbekistan went ahead through an Islomjon Kobilov penalty kick just before half-time, but Iran drew level through Reza Dehghani’s 58th minute goal to claim a share of the spoils at Tinsulanon Stadium.

The Koreans looked destined to be held by a determined Chinese outfit, but a goal from substitute Lee Dong-jun in the third minute of stoppage time ensured Kim Hak-bum’s side finished the opening Matchday of Group C top of the table.

With the match seemingly headed for a goalless draw, 58th-minute substitute Lee scored to snatch the win in the third and final minute of stoppage time, sending Kim’s charges to the top of the Group C table at the end of Matchday One.

Having impressed in a 1-1 draw against defending champions Uzbekistan on Thursday, Team Melli Omid can take a major step towards the knockout stage as well as their ultimate goal of a first Olympic football qualification since 1976, with a win against the Koreans.

In stark contrast to Iran’s Olympic drought, Korea Republic haven’t missed out on the Games since 1984, but Estili is confident his staff have pinpointed a path to victory at Tinsulanon Stadium.

After racing into a two-goal lead within the first 22 minutes of their campaign opener, Qatar were eventually forced to settle for a 2-2 draw after Alaa Aldin Dali struck deep into stoppage time to earn his side a share of the spoils.

Despite the last gasp disappointment, Sanchez believes the result will have little or no bearing on proceedings when they face a Saudi side who began their title bid with a win over Japan.