Both sides will have it all to play for following a goalless stalemate in Tabriz’s Yadegar-e Imam Stadium last week, with the Saudi outfit having goalkeeper Abdulquddus Atiiay for delivering a man-of-the-match performance to keep his side in the tie.
Head coach Dragan Skocic went on to rue Tractor’s lack of cutting edge, after the Iranian club registered 16 shots – six on target – in the first leg, but remained confident of his team’s chances of progressing to the semifinals.
“We had a strong rhythm, but unfortunately, we did not score. We showed how good a team we are and we are going to win the second leg,” the Croatian said in the post-match press conference.
The first-leg result marked a second goalless draw for Tractor in as many games – following an Iranian top-flight encounter with title rival Sepahan – but Skocic showed little concern, saying: “It doesn’t worry me. Whenever the players give everything they can on the field, I’m happy. I know we’ll have the same chances in the next game and I hope we write fate differently.”
Prolific striker Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh will be the player to watch in the Tractor colors – after being denied by Atiiay and the crossbar in the first leg – as he will be chasing a ninth goal in eight outings in the competition this season.
While Tractor had its domestic trip to Foolad Khuzestan postponed on Friday, Al Taawoun – eighth in the table – will be fresh from Saturday’s 3-0 home victory over 10-man Damac in the Saudi top flight.