Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Qarshi: Nasaf will look to maintain their strong home record when they welcome Persepolis to Qarshi Markaziy Stadium in Group C of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
The Uzbek side are undefeated in their past five home games on the continent and have beaten both Al Wasl and Al Sadd 1-0 in their two matches in front of their own fans in the current campaign.
Nasaf will be aiming to bounce back from a 4-0 reversal to Al Sadd three weeks ago, while Persepolis have won two Group C games in a row after Kamal Kamyabinia struck the only goal of the game against Al Wasl last time out.
When the teams met in Tehran on the opening fixture of the competition, Persepolis ran out 3-1 winners, meaning should they avoid defeat in Uzbekistan then their place in the next round is assured.
Nasaf warmed up for the clash with a 1-1 draw against Metalourg on Friday, while Persepolis suffered a rare home reversal by going down 2-1 to Saipa a day earlier. Saydullo Rakhmatov returns from suspension for the hosts but Shojae Khalilzadeh is serving a one-game ban for the Iranian team.