Iran's Esteghlal Looks Perfect Start at ACL
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s popular soccer team, Esteghlal, is poised to take advantage of its home game against Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia in the AFC Champions League group stage.
The match will be held in Group A of the ACL at Tehran's Azadi Stadium at 19:30 local time on Tuesday.
Two-time Asian champion Esteghlal will look to build on last year's semi-final appearance, where the Iranian outfit lost to FC Seoul of South Korea 4-2 on aggregate.
Elsewhere in Group A, Al Jazira of the UAE will welcome Qatari Al Rayyan at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Esteghlal has no notable injury concerns ahead of the match. Al Shabab, meanwhile, will be without Nassir Al Shamrani, who joined Al Hilal, while striker Naif Hazazi looks set to miss the tie through injury.
“We want to start the tournament with a win over Al Shabab. I hope that our fans will support us in the home match. In these kinds of tournaments, it’s so important you win your first match,” Esteghlal coach Amir Ghalenoei said in the pre-match news conference.
Esteghlal has won the Asian Club Championship titles twice in 1971 and 1991.
