The former Barcelona midfielder brings an end to a four-year stay in Doha as he prepares to hang his boots following the Persepolis clash, closing the curtains on the final act of a 22-year career which saw him win 32 titles, the last of which was the 2018-19 Qatar Stars League.
In Tehran, a repeat of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final between Persepolis and Al Sadd comes under contrasting circumstances, with Al Sadd already qualified and Persepolis eliminated from Group D, the-afc.com reported.
On Monday, the two sides meet for the sixth time in just over a year. Persepolis and Al Sadd were pitted together in Group C last time around. A brace from Baghdad Bounedjah helped Al Sadd to a win in Doha on Matchday Two.
In April 2018, it was Iranian international defender Morteza Pouraliganji who scored, albeit in his own net, gifting Persepolis a 1-0 win in Tehran. The same scoreline was replicated six months later at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when the two sides met in the semi-finals first leg.
Bounedjah’s goal was cancelled out by Siamak Nemati as Persepolis snatched the 2018 AFC Champions League final ticket with a 1-1 draw in Azadi Stadium. Al Sadd’s Algerian forward continued his impressive scoring record against Alireza Beiranvand, scoring the only goal in his side’s 1-0 win on Matchday Two of this year’s group stage.