AFC Champions League Elite:
Sepahan to begin new era at Al Duhail
A place in the West region’s league phase will be at stake as Sepahan plays away to Qatari club Al Duhail in the preliminary stage of the AFC Champions League Elite today at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The game will also mark the beginning of a new era for the Persian Gulf Pro League outfit under head coach Moharram Navidkia, who returned to Sepahan bench in June to replace Patrice Carteron after the Frenchman walked out of his job amid the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
Having settled for a runner-up finish in their respective domestic leagues last season, both sides will aim to feature in the West’s 12-team league stage of the revamped ACL Elite for the first time.
Victory in today’s game will mean a 15th appearance in the Asian elite clubs’ competition for Sepahan, which was a losing finalist in 2007.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail – a semifinalist in 2022 – will be looking to build on a superior head-to-head record against the Iranian club to secure a 13th participation in the continental showpiece.
The two sides met four times in the group stage in the 2012 and 2022 editions, with Al Duhail coming out victorious on three occasions.
Sepahan fans will get to watch their new-look team in action for the first time this season following a busy transfer window of high-profile incomings and departures.
While Iranian international goalkeeper Payam Niazmand and midfielder Reza Shekari left for Persepolis, French midfielder Steven Nzonzi parted ways with club for “safety reasons” and prolific winger Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi joined Ittihad Kalba in the UAE Pro League.
Ex-AEK Athens fullback Ehsan Hajsafi, meanwhile, has returned to his boyhood club for a fourth spell, with goalkeeper Seyyed Hossein Hosseini and his Esteghlal teammate Arash Rezavand, as well as Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Alves, who won the Iranian league with Tractor last season, among the new signings.
There will be two marquee signings to watch in Al Duhail shirt.
Former PSG midfielder Marco Verratti has joined as a free agent from fellow-Qatari club Al Arabi SC, while Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek is set to make his debut in Asian football following his €10m move from Turkish club Basaksehir.