AFC Champions League Elite:
Tractor to host Shabab Al Ahli in neutral venue
Persian Gulf Pro League champion Tractor will have to stage its AFC Champions League Elite last-16 home leg against the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli at a neutral venue, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed.
The two sides will meet at Dubai’s Rashid Stadium on March 2, before facing off in the return leg seven days later. The venue for the second leg has yet to be finalized by the Iranian club in coordination with the continental governing body.
The knockout tie will mark a repeat of the teams’ opening league-phase encounter, which ended in a 1-1 draw in Dubai last October.
Iranian clubs Tractor, Sepahan and Esteghlal have been barred from playing thier matches on home soil in the AFC’s two club competitions following last month’s protests in the country, as well as escalating regional tensions between Iran and the United States in recent weeks.
Tractor suffered a 2-0 defeat to Al Sadd in Doha on February 10 in a fixture designated as its Matchday 7 home game. However, the Tabriz-based side closed out the league phase with a 2-0 win over Al Gharafa in Al Rayyan last Tuesday to secure third place in the 12-team West Zone standings with 17 points – five behind leader Al Hilal and level on points with second-placed Al Ahli Saudi, trailing only on goal difference.
Shabab Al Ahli, meanwhile, fell to a 4-3 defeat against Al Ahli in Jeddah on Monday but still advanced to the knockout stage as the sixth-placed side with 11 points.
Domestically, Tractor sits second in the Persian Gulf Pro League with 35 points – one behind leader Golgohar, which has played two games more. The club resumes league action with a trip to Malavan FC today.
Newly appointed head coach Mohammad Rabiei is set to make his debut on the Tractor bench after replacing Croatian Dragan Skocic, who parted ways with the club on the eve of the Al Gharafa fixture.