Esteghlal will take to Azadi Stadium for the first time in Group D of the AFC Champions League when the table-topper team hosts Al Ain of the UAE on Monday.
According to the AFC website, the Iranian side is the only team to have won a game in the group, having defeated Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia 1-0 on Matchday Two and earning two draws.
The Blues return to home comforts, following a commendable 2-2 draw against Al Ain last Tuesday.
With the score at 1-1, Al-Ain was handed a soft penalty with 16 minutes remaining, but Marcus Berg’s effort was saved excellently by Seyyed Hossein Hosseini in the Esteghlal goal.
Soon after, the Iranians retook the lead but were denied all three points by another dubious spot-kick decision. With just four minutes remaining, the Malaysian referee awarded another mystifying penalty and this time it was converted by Ahmed Khalil to give Al Ain a 2-2 draw that was scarcely deserved.
Iranian fans are up in arms and the anger is understandable when the referee’s decisions were so wrong, and are going to fill the 80,000-strong Azadi Stadium in support of their team.
Al Ain has now drawn all three of its group games and sits third in the standings but behind second-placed Al Rayyan on goal difference alone. A win would propel the Emirati side into the top two and leave them looking good with two games to play.
Zobahan to Clash With Al Wahda
Al Wahda of the UAE will almost certainly be eliminated from the Champions League should it fail to beat Zobahan in Group B at Zayed Sports City Stadium on Monday.
The Emirati side has lost its opening three matches on the continent, going down to Lokomitv and Al Duhail of Qatar before suffering a 2-0 reversal in Iran to Zobahan on Matchday Three last week after a Morteza Tabrizi double.
Elimination will be all but confirmed if Al Wahda does not defeat Zobahan in the return fixture on home soil, but the Iranian side will go into the clash with confidence after winning back-to-back games to move into second place in the standings.
After losing the opening game to table-topper Al Duhail, Zobahan defeated Lokomotiv of Uzbekistan on Matchday Two and then Monday’s opponents in Iran, with goals from Tabrizi, meaning the striker is among the top scorers on the continent.
Zobahan is now three points clear at second place and a third win on the bounce would put the Isfahani team in a strong position ahead of a home tie with Al Duhail and a tricky final group match away at Lokomotiv.
