AFC Champions League Elite:
Esteghlal eyes two in two, Tractor looks to open account
Esteghlal will look to build on an impressive opening-day win against Al Sadd when they face another Qatari opponent, Al Gharafa, away from home in the AFC Champions League Elite today at Al Rayyan’s Thani bin Jassim Stadium.
Jasir Asani stole the show with a goal and an assist as the Tehran Blues defeated Al Sadd 3-0 in their league-phase opener in Basra before the international break, but the in-form Albanian winger remains a doubt for today’s game after being forced off injured midway through Thursday’s 1-1 away draw against Tractor in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Al Gharafa could hardly have asked for a tougher opening-round opponent, having faced Al Hilal away from home, with the four-time Asian champions coming away with a 2-1 win.
While the final score suggested a tight contest, it was anything but, as Al Gharafa had just over 31 percent possession and managed only three shots on target.
Meanwhile, the other Iranian top-flight side, Tractor, will look to get off the mark in this year’s continental elite club competition against Qatar’s Al Shamal SC, having suffered a 1-0 defeat to the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai on matchday one.
The two sides will square off at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, which serves as Tractor’s home venue for the match, after the Iranian side’s players endured an exhausting multi-stage journey, including overland travel through Iraq, to reach the Omani capital.
Tractor will be without Iranian international goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who has been left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons following Thursday’s domestic league draw.
Head coach Javad Nekounam’s men will need to improve their finishing, having managed just one shot on target from seven attempts against Shabab Al Ahli.
Debutants Al Shamal came within a whisker of defeating two-time champions Al Ittihad Club in their opener, only to settle for a 1-1 home draw after Georginio Wijnaldum’s stoppage-time equalizer salvaged a point for the Saudi Pro League heavyweights.