Persian Gulf Pro League:
Esteghlal, Persepolis eager to maintain title tilt with derby glory
As if the bragging rights are not enough for Esteghlal and Persepolis players to go all out in the 103rd Tehran Derby today, the outcome of the contest at the capital’s iconic Azadi Stadium will play a massive part in setting the tone in the Persian Gulf Pro League title race.
The fierce archrivals are separated by three points on top of the Iranian top-flight standing with 11 games to spare, with table-topper Esteghlal looking to build on a perfect home record this season in pursuit of a first derby victory in the league in six years.
A late drama saw he two sides play to a 1-1 stalemate in the reverse fixture in December, with Reds skipper Omid Alishah coming off the bench to find the net with 13 minutes remaining, only to see his strike canceled out by French fullback Kevin Yamga from the spot deep into stoppage time.
The Blues’ sole defeat of the campaign came at Sepahan last August though a shock setback at Mes Rafsanjan last week saw Javad Nekounam’s men crash out of the Iranian Hazfi Cup.
Esteghlal was quick to get back to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at relegation struggler Esteghlal Khuzestan in Ahvaz on Friday but a defeat in today’s encounter could still turn the tide in Persepolis favor in what now seems to be a two-horse race for the league crown.
Persepolis, meanwhile, is enjoying a best spell of the campaign, scoring 10 in four successive wins across all competitions under new Brazilian coach Osmar Vieira.
Vieira, a number two to his predecessor Yahya Golmohammadi, knows a derby triumph is just what he needs to win the Reds faithful over following his controversial appointment during the international break last month.
The Brazilian will be eager to see his marquee winter signings Issa Alekasir, Oston Urunov, and Abdelkarim Hassan as well as a resurgent Mahdi Torabi come up with yet another impressive performance today, while he is desperate to have his international keeper Alireza Beiranvand back to his top form after his blunders in recent weeks led to conceding a couple of awkward goals against Iralco and Foolad Khuzestan.
Persepolis will be without its first-choice defensive pair of Giorgi Gvelesiani – yet to recover from a groin injury – and Iranian international Hossein Kan’anizadegan, who was unfortunate to receive a fourth booking of the season in 4-2 win agianst Foolad, and Farshad Faraji and Ali Ne’mati will have to rise up to the occasion when filling in for the two absentees.
Elsewhere, Sepahan will be desperate to put a lid on a five-game losing streak when visiting Foolad in Ahvaz.
Once regarded as the ultimate favorite to lift the top-flight trophy come the end of the season, Sepahan is fifth in the table, trailing the top by 11 points – albeit with two games in hand – and any result other than maximum points will all but end the Isfahan-based giant’s aspirations for a first league title in nine years.
Should Esteghlal and Persepolis share the spoils, third-place Tractor – 10 points adrift of the top with a game in hand – could launch an outside title bid with a home win against Havadar, which is unbeaten in four games under new manager Masoud Shojaei.
Paykan – fresh from a 3-2 win at Sepahan last time out – will host fourth-place Malavan, which came out on top against Golgohar Sirjan and looks to continue a fairytale run under Mahdi Tartar.
Golgohar, meanwhile, will hope to bounce back at home against San’at Naft Abadan, which sits right above the relegation zone – a single point clear of Esteghlal Khuzestan and Nassaji Mazandaran.
Nassaji welcomes the surprise package of the season Shams Azar, with Esteghlal Khuzestan visiting Mohammad Rabiei’s Zob Ahan at the Foolad Shahr Stadium in Isfahan.
Iralco and Mes will go head-to-head in Arak.