Zob Ahan to play for perfect home record; Tractorsazi seeking last-gasp chances
Zob Ahan will look to make it three wins from three in front of home support when the Iranian side welcomes the 2018 AFC Champions League Group B leader Al Duhail to Foolad Shahr Stadium today.
Currently second in the standings, Zob Ahan has won two from two at home but has lost both its games on the road and goes into the clash with already qualified Al Duhail on the back of a 3-0 away defeat to Al Wahda on Matchday Four, the-afc.com reported.
Al Duhail, meanwhile, has had no such inconsistencies as Youssef El Arabi scored two late goals – his third brace in a row – when the Qatari side clinched knockout stage qualification with a 2-1 victory at Lokomotiv in what was its fourth successive win.
When the sides met on Matchday One in Doha, Zob Ahan took the lead but Al Duhail scored thrice in the last 20 minutes to get its campaign off to a winning start.
The host goes into the game after winning 3-0 over Tractorsazi Tabriz in the Persian Gulf Pro League on Friday, while Al Duhail has not played since beating Al Markhiya 4-2 in midmarch. Meanwhile, Tractorsazi plays Saudi side Al Ahli in Group A of the competitions at at the UAE’S Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Stadium, knowing that only six points from the remaining two fixtures will give the Tabriz-based club a chance to qualify for the knockout stage.
Table-topper Al Ahli is unbeaten in its four group games but has not won since Matchday Two as back-to-back 1-1 draws with Al Gharafa slowed what had previously appeared to be an unstoppable march toward the knockout rounds.
After losing its opening two fixtures, Tractorsazi also secured successive draws against Al Jazira.
Both sides go into the tie on the back of domestic defeats, with Al Ahli losing 1-0 to Al Faisaly in the King’s Cup on Friday and Tractorsazi on the wrong end of scoreline against Zob Ahan.
Al Ahli, though, has never lost against Tractorsazi and boasts a strong record against Iranian opposition, while the visitor has won just twice in nine attempts against Saudi sides.