A win for the Baghdad-based side will be enough to seal progress to the knock-out stage; a feat no Iraqi team in the history of the AFC Champions League has achieved.

Al Shorta beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in their Matchday Four fixture to move up to second, but having drawn Esteghlal 1-1 at home in their opening match, losing to the Iranians on Sunday will leave them bottom of the group should Esteghlal manage to beat Al Ahli in the final match of the group.

The two sides are separated by only one point; Pakhtakor sit second with seven points after four games while Shabab Al Ahli’s late resurgence took their tally to six points from four matches.

Shabab Al Ahli lost to Pakhtakor 2-1 in their opening game of the campaign but have since underwent a managerial change with Spaniard Gerard Zaragoza replacing Argentine Rodolfo Arruabarrena.

Islamic Republic of Iran’s Shahr Khodro have been eliminated early on in their maiden appearance in the competition after suffering four consecutive defeats, while Al Hilal, the reigning continental champions, are just a win away from joining domestic rivals Al Ahli and Al Nassr in the round of 16.

Al Hilal coach Razvan Lucescu’s biggest challenge will be selection, although AFC have approved the registration of two goalkeepers in response to a crisis that has seen the squad severely trimmed due to several players testing positive for COVID-19. Abdullah Al Bishi and Ahmad Al Jubaya have come in to replace Mohammed Al Wakid and Nawaf Al Ghamdi.

Hamdallah doubled the advantage for Al Nassr after Abdullah Madu broke the deadlock for the Saudi Arabia side as the Moroccan increased his tally in the 2020 AFC Champions League to five in four matches, having scored twice in the Matchday Three fixture against the Iran side.

Doha: Sharjah's Khaled Bawazir has been voted by the fans as the AFC Champions League Matchday Four Toyota Player of the Week. In data provided by OPTA, the official data provider for the Asian Football Confederation, Bawazir had earned a rating of 7.6 for his performance against Al Duhail in Group C, with the midfielder scoring once in the 4-2 win.

Al Sadd led 1-0 going into the half-time break but turned on the power in the second period to score an emphatic win which took them to eight points and well in sight of a berth in the Round of 16.