Iran’s Esteghlal Aims to End Defeats against Saudi Arabian Teams: AFC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Esteghlal is aiming to end a run of three successive defeats to Saudi Arabian opposition when the Iranian team takes on debutante Al Taawoun in Group A of the 2017 AFC Champions League on Monday.
The Iranian side went down 2-1 to the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ahli in its opening game of the tournament and has now failed to keep a clean sheet in nine of its previous 10 fixtures on the continent ahead of the encounter at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
Al Taawoun, meanwhile, will go into the fixture with confidence after Constantin Galca’s side enjoyed a perfect start to its maiden AFC Champions League campaign as captain Talal Al Absi’s second-half goal saw off Lokomotiv to delight a packed King Abdullah Stadium in Buraidah.
Furthermore, Iran’s Esteghlal Khuzestan will face Al Jazira of the UAE in Group B at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Monday.
The debutante celebrated a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al Fateh on its first ever AFC Champions League appearance as it joined Qatar’s Lekhwiya as the early pace-setters in Group B.
