AFC Champions League Elite:
Tractor aiming to secure knockout spot against Al Duhail
Tractor will confirm its last-16 spot with victory against Al Duhail SC when the sides meet in the AFC Champions League Elite today at Tabriz’s Yadegar-e Imam Stadium.
Iranian top-flight champion Tractor ended Matchday Five third in the West Zone standings with 11 points, four ahead of sixth-placed Al Duhail of Qatar.
Having opened its campaign with two draws, a three-match winning run means Tractor is within touching distance of the round of 16 and Dragan Skocic’s men will aim to maximize home ground advantage against Al Duhail.
Defensive resilience has been the back bone of Tractor’s campaign, with the Skocic’s side having kept four clean sheets, but the Iranian outfit is winless in its last two meetings with Al Duhail.
Al Duhail kept its hopes alive with a stunning 4-2 win against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad Club on Matchday Five but will face a stiff test against a confident Tractor.
The Qatari club’s away form on the continent has been poor, with three defeats in its last four matches and walking away empty handed will leave Djamel Belmadi’s team in a perilous position.
Tractor will step into the contest fresh off a dramatic shootout victory over domestic foe Persepolis in the Iranian Hazfi Cup on Thursday, while Al Duhail – eighth in the QSL 12-team table – suffered a 2-0 away defeat against Al Shahaniya in the Qatari Stars Cup last Sundy.