Persian Gulf Pro League preview:
No room for error as the endgame nears
Esteghlal and Persepolis will be back in action today as a neck-and-neck title race in the Persian Gulf Pro League enters the closing stages.
Goalless results for both sides last time out meant only a single point remains the difference between Tehran archrivals with five games to spare in the Iranian top flight.
Enjoying a best home record in the league, Esteghlal will be hoping to get back to winning ways and keep the fate of the title in its own hands when the final whistle is blown by the end of the day’s late fixture against Zob Ahan at the capital’s Azadi Stadium.
The bad news for Javad Nekounam and his men, however, is that today’s opponent has been the best team away from home as six of Zob Ahan’s victories this season have come on the road while Mohammad Rabiei’s side has only lost once outside Isfahan.
Esteghlal skipper Seyyed Hossein Hosseini will be back between the sticks after serving a one-game ban against Tractor, looking to register a 14th clean sheet of an impressive campaign.
Persepolis, meanwhile, will visit relegation-threatened Nassaji Mazandaran earlier in the day, and could move atop the table for a couple of hours with maximum points.
Last Wednesday’s frustrating home stalemate against Sepahan proved costly for Persepolis as integral captain Omid A’alishah received his marching orders late in the game and will miss today’s encounter.
The Tehran Reds head into the contest on the back of five successive wins against their host but the northern Iranian club has been in fine form under Saket Elhami in recent weeks, pulling off a precious point at third-place Sepahan before back-to-back wins against Tractor and Zob Ahan saw Nassaji move into the safety zone.
New signing Luan Polli has made massive contribution to Nassaji’s recent success as the Brazilian keeper has only conceded one goal in four appearances for the club.
Meanwhile, there race to avoid relegation is as wide open as it has ever been.
San’at Naft Abadan sits rock bottom with 16 points and is destained for a second-tier campaign next season, but Nassaji, Foolad, and Esteghlal Khuzestan are only separated by one point in the survival battle.
Esteghlal Khuzestan, second from bottom with 21 points, will be facing a daunting challenge when visiting Isfahan to play Sepahan, while fellow-southern Iranian side Foolad – sitting below Nassaji on goal difference – will chase all points at home against fourth-place Tractor.
San’at will put in a last-ditch effort to stay in the top flight at home against Moharram Navidkia’s Mes Rafsanjan.
Elsewhere, Mahdi Tartar’s Malavan – fifth in the table – will continue its quest for a higher finish at home against Havadar, which is on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions under Masoud Shojaei.
The early kickoff of the day will see Paykan and square off against Iralco and former manager Mojtaba Hosseini in Tehran.