AFC Champions League Elite:
Tractor to open campaign against Shabab Al Ahli
Persian Gulf Pro League champion Tractor will get its AFC Champions League Elite campaign underway today against Emirati champion Shabab Al Ahli at Dubai’s Rashid Stadium.
Tractor got off to a slow start to its domestic title defense, suffering a 1-0 home loss to Esteghlal before sharing the spoil with Mes Rafsanjan in a goalless stalemate before the international break, but head coach Dragan Skocic will hope to see his team build on Friday’s 4-1 victory over Iralco, during which Croatian striker Domagoj Drozdek bagged a first-half hat-trick.
Friday’s win, however, proved costly for Tractor and the Croatian coach as integral winger Mahdi Torabi was forced out with an injury at halftime and missed the Dubai visit.
The good news for Skocic is that Iran international goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand is available for selection for the first time this season after his four-month ban – handed by the Iranian Football Federation – was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli – sitting atop the UAE Pro League table with seven points in three games – will step onto the pitch fresh off a hard-fought 1-0 win against 10-man Baniyas on Thursday.
Prolific striker Sardar Azmoun, who played a pivotal part in the title-winning run last season, is yet to feature for the club in the new campaign due to an injury and will likely miss today’s game, but his Iran international teammate Saeid Ezzatollahi is contention for a start after returning from an injury setback against Baniyas.
The two clubs were part of the AFC Champions League Two last season, with both crashing out in the quarterfinals.
The sides have history in the Asian elite clubs’ competition, having met twice in the 2015 group stage with both winning one apiece, before Shabab Al Ahli wen on to finish as the runner-up.
The Dubai-based side will head into the match on a nine-game unbeaten run against teams from Iran, while Tractor, which won its maiden domestic top-flight last season, also has a streak to protect – having not suffered defeat in its last five encounters against teams from the UAE.