High stakes in Tehran Derby:
Esteghlal, Persepolis eyeing statement triumph
With only five rounds of fixtures played in the new Persian Gulf Pro League season, today’s Tehran Derby could hardly be considered as a milestone in the Iranian top-flight title race.
However, there will still be more than three points and the bragging rights on the line for capital heavyweights Esteghlal and Persepolis, as well as their head coaches, in the highly-anticipated encounter.
Having endured weeks of turmoil and speculation surrounding his future with the Blues, Esteghlal coach Javad Nekounam will be desperate to prove he remains the right man for the job with a first league victory over the archrivals since 2018.
For Nekounam’s opposite number Juan Carlos Garrido, meanwhile, success in today’s occasion will represent a stepping stone in his side’s progress in the early stages of his helm at the Reds.
Esteghlal has been without a win in three league outings since the opening-day late victory at Shams Azar, while the club’s 29-game unbeaten run in the Iranian top flight came to an end at Esteghlal Khuzestan in August.
The 1-0 defeat in Ahvaz triggered an ongoing falling-out between Nekounam and the club hierarchy, though an emphatic 3-0 beating of Al Gharafa in their AFC Champions League Elite opener temporarily eased the pressure on the manager.
Esteghlal had to come from behind twice to salvage a point in a VAR-driven 2-2 draw at Nassaji Mazandaran last time out, but the hard-fought point came at a cost for the Blues as instrumental center-back Rouzbeh Cheshmi received his marching orders in the stoppage time and will be out of the Persepolis game.
With four goals and an assist to his name since joining the club in the summer, Ramin Rezaeian will be the man to watch in the Blues outfit.
The veteran fullback, who was on the scoresheet for the Reds when they claimed a famous 4-2 triumph over the city rivals nine years ago, will be keen to build on his impressive form of late against his former employers, with whom he lifted his sole league trophy in 2017.
Reds on the rise
Persepolis got off to a slow start to its domestic title defense under Garrido, who was only appointed to the Reds role in June.
Chasing a seventh league crown in eight seasons, the Reds were held to a frustrating 1-1 home draw against Zob Ahan on the opening day and then had new Algerian keeper Alexis Guendouz and fellow-summer signing Ayoub El Amloud, who bagged a late equalizer, to thank for managing a point away to Tractor.
Garrido’s tactics started to kick in during a convincing 2-0 victory over Foolad Khuzestan, and even a 1-0 loss to Al Ahli Saudi took nothing away from the Reds’ dominant performance against the star-studded host.
Ali Alipour, the Reds’ all-time leading marksman in the Iranian Pro League, got off the mark on his return to club in Friday’s 2-0 over Iralco and will be eager to add to his four derby goals today.
El Amloud was back in training with the rest of the team on Sunday, having missed Friday’s game with an injury, but star winger Oston Urunov remains a doubt for the derby after he was forced off right before halftime against Iralco with a hamstring problem.
Elsewhere in the league, another mouth-watering clash will be on the cards in Isfahan as Sepahan – sitting atop the table with 13 points – will welcome second-place Tractor on Friday.
Malavan will play Esteghlal Khuzestan at home and Golgohar and Havadar will square off in Sirjan, while Iralco will chase a first win of the season when hosting newcomer Kheybar FC in Arak.
Mes Rafsanjan will visit Chadormalou, with Shams Azar and Nassaji hoping to end their winless run when they go head-to-head in Qazvin.
Yahaya Golmohammadi’s Foolad will face Zob Ahan in Ahvaz on Saturday.