All to play for as West Zone sides eye AFC Champions League last eight

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

All to play for as West Zone sides eye AFC Champions League last eight

Kuala Lumpur: After four tight first leg encounters, the eight teams in the West will return to 2017 AFC Champions League action on Monday and Tuesday with it all to play for in the second legs of the Round of 16.

Al Ain and Esteghlal Khouzestan will be looking to overturn one-goal deficits against Esteghlal and Al Hilal, while the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ahli and Lekhwiya will aim to build on creditable draws at Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli and Persepolis.

Al Ain v Esteghlal

Kaveh Rezaei’s stoppage-time penalty gave Esteghlal a narrow 1-0 win over Al Ain in the first leg to mean the Iranian team travel to the United Arab Emirates with a slender one-goal advantage to defend.

But 2016 runners-up Al Ain showed their strong knockout stage pedigree last year and will be confident of working their way back into the tie, particularly with star striker Nasser Al Shamrani being brought back into the fold after missing the match in Tehran.