Persian Gulf Pro League
Stakes high at bottom end as five teams seek survival
All eyes might be on Tehran archrivals Esteghlal and Persepolis in the two-horse race for the Persian Gulf Pro League crown, but the stakes are equally high at the bottom end of the table.
Separated by five points with three games to spare, five teams will give their all to secure a place in the Iranian top flight when the new season gets underway in late summer.
San’at Naft Abadan – rock bottom with 20 points – looks destained to start next campaign in the second tier for the first time in nine years.
Under new head coach Faraz Kamalvand, San’at defeated third-place Sepahan and Mes Rafsanjan in recent weeks but the massive results have done little to inspire the southern Iranian club, which has left the pitch empty-handed on 15 occasions while managing only four wins in 27 matches this season.
San’at will play Shams Azar at home next before visiting Zob Ahan and then welcoming fourth-place Tractor for the final round of fixtures on May 31.
Sitting two points clear of their fellow-southern Iranian club in the table are Ahvaz city rivals Foolad and Esteghlal Khuzestan, which have three league titles between them since the Iranian Pro League was launched two decades ago, with the latter just outside the bottom two on goal difference.
The addition of Brazilian Sávio Roberto and Iraqi striker Aso Rostam, among other signnigs, in the winter break saw Esteghlal Khuzestan – the last team other than the Tehran giants to win the league – enjoy a decent run in the second half of the season but the 4-1 humiliation against fellow-struggler Nassaji Mazandaran last time out was a major blow in the Ahvaz Blues’ quest for an extended spell in the top-tier league.
Next for Sirous Pourmousavi’s men is a daunting encounter with defending champion Persepolis at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Tuesday, followed by a visit to Mes Rafsanjan and the home game against Havadar.
Foolad, meanwhile, is on a 10-game winless run – suffering six losses in the process – and will need significant improvement in the remaining fixtures, starting with the home game against Zob Ahan.
Abdollah Veisi’s side will square off against Paykan in the Foolad Arena on May 26 and finish its campaign with a trip to Qaemshahr to take on Nassaji in what could be a decisive battle for both sides.
Nassaji has been the most in-form team of the bottom five in the closing stages of the campaign under Saket Elhami, who parted ways with Mes in the mid-season to return to northern Iran, two years after steering the club to Hazfi Cup glory – Nassaji’s maiden silverware in the Iranian club football.
The emphatic victory over Esteghlal Khuzestan helped Nassaji move three points clear of the relegation zone but Elhami’s side will still have to keep up the momentum in the remaining fixtures, the first of which will be at home against leader Esteghlal.
An away game at Havadar will come Nassaji’s way in its penultimate fixture, followed by the final-day game against Foolad.
Paykan seemed to be secured a Pro League place for next season before a run of three successive defeats against Shams Azar, Iralco, and Zob Ahan sounded the alarm bells for Reza Enayati’s side.
Tied with Nassaji on 25 points – with a better goal difference – Paykan will host Tractor and visit Foolad in its next two games, hoping to secure safety before the final day, which will see the Tehran club welcome Esteghlal in what may well be a must-win encounter for Javad Nekounam’s Blues in their title quest.