Kaizer Chiefs' promising pre-season form will be put to the test when they take on Asian visitors Iran in a friendly match at Bloemfontein's Vodacom Park on Saturday afternoon.

The three-time Asian champions are visiting South Africa as part of the Persian Football Tour. This past weekend the national team played to a 1-1 draw with Botswana in Gabarone and they will end off their Southern Africa 'safari' by taking on the might of Soweto giants Chiefs.

"I believe that playing against Iran, the team gets to prepare itself against strong international opposition for the new season and our fans are given exposure to a different football culture," Chiefs Marketing Director, Jessica Motaung told the club's official website.

She added: "As a team Chiefs are always looking at ways of testing our team against different kinds of opponents, and we want to let our fans see us test ourselves against strong teams from various regions of the world."

'Amakhosi', under new coach Vladimir Vermezovic, have signalled their ambitions for the 2009/10 domestic season by winning the preseason Premier Cup on Saturday.

The four-team, one-day tournament, staged at the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the Eastern Cape, saw Chiefs defeat Bay United 2-0 in the semifinals (thanks to goals from new signings Knowledge Musonda and Nkosinathi Nhleko), before going on to defeat league champions SuperSport United 2-1 in the final with strikes from George Lebese and Josta Dladla.

Now the Soweto club, who last won the Premier Soccer League in 2005, can augment their hopes of claiming the title with the experience they will gain by taking on the national team of one of Asia's strongest footballing countries.

Affectionately known as 'Team Melli', Iran won the Asian Cup three successive times from 1968 to 1976 and they have appeared in three World Cups (1978, 1998 and 2006), never progressing beyond the first round.

Their attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Cup ended in failure as they finished fourth in Group B in the Asian zone final round, but they were just a single point behind second and third placed Korea DPR and Saudi Arabia, with the former having booked their place in next year?s showpiece event.

The focus for Iran is now on being match-sharp ahead of the resumption of qualification for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

Match tickets for Kaizer Chiefs v Iran are on sale at Computicket and Shoprite outlets throughout South Africa. Ticket prices are R40 for Main Grandstand, R30 for Open Stand (adults) and R15 for juveniles.

Backpagepix/iafrica.com