MD1 - Group C: Al Duhail, Persepolis A Repeat of 2018 ACL Quarters

The two sides had locked horns two years earlier, with Almoez Ali’s strike the difference in the first leg, before two late goals at Azadi Stadium gave Persepolis the semi-final ticket with a 3-2 aggregate victory.

In 2019, both sides endured frustrating campaigns, albeit to different extents; Al Duhail was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the hands of arch-rival Al Sadd, while Persepolis was unable to advance past the group stage, finishing bottom despite collecting seven points.

Change was the name of the game for both sides, with new coaches at the helm in Tehran and Doha.

Al Duhail parted ways with Rui Faria in January, bringing in former Moroccan international defender Walid Regragui to replace him, while over at Persepolis, the Gabriel Calderon experiment lasted just five months before the Iranian team opted to bring a former international defender too in the form of Yahya Golmohammadi, who was appointed just a week before Regragui arrived to Al Duhail.

Domestically, Al Duhail is as close as ever to bringing back the Qatar Stars League title which it had lost to Al Sadd last year. Regragui’s men are two points clear at the top of the table, with 14 rounds played out of 22. A margin that could have been significantly larger if not for defeat to its immediate chaser Al Rayyan at the start of February.

Similarly, Persepolis lead the table in the Iran Pro League, but it is in an even more comfortable position, with a five-point gap between them and second-placed Sepahan, having played 19 rounds out of 30. Its recent form in the league is equally impressive, reading four wins and four clean sheets in its last four games., the-afc.com reported.

Perhaps where the two sides are most visibly different is in their January business; Al Duhail splashed the cash on Juventus pair Mario Mandzukic and Hang Kwang-song, Persepolis went for former Republic of Ireland international Anthony Stokes and Nigerian striker Christian Osaguona.