Three defeats have followed Esteghlal's opening day 3-0 win against Qatar's Al Gharafa and another loss would make it their longest run without victory on the continental stage. They have been struggling domestically as well, sitting 10th in the standings on 11 points, 10 behind pacesetters Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC.

Goals have also been hard to come by as their last three matches ended without Esteghlal finding the back of the net and they desperately need to have their shooting boots on against Pakthakor if they are to challenge for a knockout stage berth.

The Uzbekistan side, have also found the going tough with a run of two draws and two defeats and will head into the tie having not beaten teams from Iran on the continental stage in their last six meetings.

The head-to-head is, however, in Pakhtakor's favour with two wins in their previous three meetings but it has been a difficult season for them on the domestic and continental stages, with a 2-0 loss to AGMK on Thursday their ninth defeat in the Uzbekistan Super League.

Venue: Rashid Stadium (Dubai)

Kick-off: Monday, 20:00 (UTC+4)