Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Debutants Naft Tehran will look to continue their impressive first campaign in the AFC Champions League against Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in Wednesday’s quarter-final first leg, while the remaining last eight tie sees former champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Gamba Osaka face-off.
Iranian play-off winners Naft have enjoyed a memorable maiden continental campaign having already eliminated Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in the Round of 16 on away goals despite losing the second leg 2-1 in Jeddah courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.
And ahead of the visit of Al Ahli to the Azadi Stadium, Naft are also boosted by an unbeaten record at home in the AFC Champions League, which helped Alireza Mansourian’s side claim second place in Group B.
“We do have a tough job to beat the team from the Emirates and luck is something you really need to have beside other important factors to win a tournament,” said the 32-year-old midfielder Iman Mobali (pictured) , who previously spent six years playing in the United Arab Emirates.
“You can see all winning teams at different tournaments have been lucky at some stages of their campaign to reach the final triumph.
“You should stay vigilant at all times when playing in the AFC Champions League, because if you are unlucky and make a mistake, you might not have the chance to make amends.”
Naft have lost Brazilian defender Leandro Padovani and Iran internationals Gholamreza Rezaei and Hossein Ebrahimi over the summer having agonisingly missed out on a maiden Iran Pro League title last season, although experienced defender Jalal Hosseini as well as Brazilian Carlos Santos and Cameroonian striker Aloys Nong have boosted the squad.
Opponents Al Ahli are also in previously uncharted territory having never before progressed further than the group stage in their previous four appearances in the AFC Champions League.
But Al Ahli finally broke that run this year after finishing second in Group D behind namesakes Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia before edging out domestic rivals Al Ain on away goals in the last 16 following a 3-3 draw on aggregate.
Al Ahli’s off-season has seen a high profile exit and arrival with the departure of Chilean midfielder Luis Jimenez to compatriots Al Nasr offset by the capture of Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima.
Also on Wednesday, 2006 AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk will hope to transfer their impressive domestic form onto the continent when they host 2008 champions Gamba in a highly anticipated clash at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
After winning the 2014 K-League Classic title by a healthy margin, Choi Kang-hee’s side top the standings once again in the Korean top flight and, having edged out China’s Beijing Guoan in the last 16 to earn a sixth quarter-final appearance, Jeonbuk know what it takes to succeed on the continent having also reached the 2011 final.
“I am satisfied that we have qualified for the quarter-finals. The positive thing was that our strikers were in good shape even though we were not in our best form; however, there are still some improvements to be made in our defence and overall balance,” said Jeonbuk coach Choi, who has seen Brazilian duo Edu and Eninho depart to be replaced by compatriot Luiz Henrique and Spaniard Urko Vera.
“All the teams in the quarter-finals are strong and difficult to get good results against. For sure, Japanese teams have their unique strengths and characteristics and the preparation against Gamba will create problems. The most important thing is that we maximise our potential and stick to our plans.
“We need to prepare for the quarter-finals in mind and attitude to represent the K-League because we are the only one who has survived.”
Japanese treble winners Gamba, though, are looking to end their own national league’s continental drought, with a slump of seven years since a J.League club lifted the AFC Champions League title, and have already eliminated one team from Korea Republic after beating FC Seoul in the last 16.
Gamba also boast a settled side having made few changes in their personnel in the summer and continue to be captained and anchored in midfield by Yasuhito Endo with exciting young talent Taskashi Usami alongside Brazilian Patric leading the attack.
Coach Kenta Hasegawa, though, will be without Yasuyuki Konno due to suspension for the first leg after the defender picked up yellow cards in both legs against FC Seoul.
Following Wednesday’s first legs, the return fixtures will take place three weeks later to determine who progresses to the semi-finals.
On Tuesday, 2013 winners Guangzhou Evergrande travel to Japan to face former semi-finalists Kashiwa Reysol, while Qatari champions Lekhwiya face last year’s runners-up Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia.
Photo: WSG