Foolad look to maintain ACL momentum

The Iranian side may have performed below par in their domestic competitions this season but they made their mark in the AFC Champions League with a 6-0 crushing of the 11-time Kuwait league champions, which marked the largest margin of victory on Matchday One and sent Foolad to the top of Group A on goal difference.

Confidence will be high for the Khuzestan side, who warmed up for their visit to Aleppo with a 1-0 away win against Bargh last Friday with the lone goal coming from Asghar Rameshgar, scorer of the opening goal in the mauling of Al Qadisiya.

Nenad Nikolic’s team is also likely to be boosted by the return of Iraq international striker Emad Mohammed, their leading scorer this season. Mohammed, who has netted eight goals in the Iran Pro League, will be looking to open his AFC Champions League account after missing the Al Qadisiya clash.

Meanwhile, Al Ittihad will be looking to get their AFC Champions League campaign back on track after a 2-0 defeat to Uzbek powerhouse Pakhtakor in their opener in Tashkent.

Like Foolad, Al Ittihad have struggled in the defence of their league title this season and currently lie fourth in the standings, seven points adrift of leaders Al Jaish. Their recent domestic form has been poor with three draws prior to their defeat against Pakhtakor and a stunning 1-0 home defeat at the hands of lowly Al Nawair 10 days ago.

The Syrian champions, who are led by Syrian national coach Hussain Afash, did end their winless run last Friday with midfielder Yihya Al Rached scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over bottom side Al Jihad.

Boosted by that victory, Al Ittihad will be hoping to make a positive impression and pick up their first points of this year’s AFC Champions League in front of their own supporters at the Al Hamadania Stadium.

The match kicks off at 19:00 hrs local time.