Morais, new-look Sepahan eyeing ACL Elite berth
The Persian Gulf Pro League season is 11 days away but for Sepahan, the new campaign starts with a game in the preliminary round of the inaugural AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday.
Portuguese head coach Jose Morais will be eager to make his mark in his third season in charge of the Sepahan bench, starting with a game against UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli in Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium.
the winner of the tie will play away to Al Gharafa of Qatar on August 13 for a place in the league stage of the rebranded competition.
Runner-up in 2007, Sepahan earned the spot in the round thanks to a fifth domestic cup triumph in June, while the visitors finished second in the Emirati league table last term to be handed a shot at Asian glory.
The two sides have met twice in the continent’s most prestigious club event, with both games coming in the group phase of 2014 edition, when Shabab registered a win and a draw against the Iranian opponent.
The game could see Iran international Sardar Azmoun return to his boyhood club for his first Shabab Al Ahli appearance, after the prolific striker joined the Emirati outfit on a three-year contract from Bayer Leverkusen last week.
Rejuvenated Sepahan
Sepahan can’t wait to see what their new-look side will have to offer in the new campaign – following a busy summer transfer window, during which the club has managed to secure the services of some of the hottest assets in the market to fill the void caused by the departure of several key players in the squad.
Shahriar Moghanlou, the leading marksman of the Iranian league for the past two terms, left the club to embark on a new chapter in his career with Ittihad Kalba in the UAE, while integral fullbacks Ramin Rezaeian, who registered 14 goals and 12 assists last season, and Milad Zakipour will play for Esteghlal in the upcoming campaign.
Winger Farshad Ahmadzadeh and midfielder Omid Nourafkan also parted ways with Sepahan, but in Javad Aqaeipour, Mahdi Limouchi, and Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi, the club has signed three of the most sought-after frontline talents in the Iranian league.
Meanwhile, young Iranian defenders Mohammad-Amin Hazbavi, Saleh Hardani, and Hossein Goudarzi, as well as Tajikistan international Vahdat Hanonov will be marquee additions to the Sepahan backline.