Do or Die Clash for Persepolis against Pakhtakor: AFC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Uzbekistan is never the easiest place to go and get a result, but that’s exactly what the 2018 runner-up Persepolis must do when it takes on Pakhtakor in Tashkent on Monday.
If Persepolis loses to Pakhtakor, its elimination will be confirmed after just five games.
The Tehran side’s campaign began with a 1-1 home draw against Pakhtakor and the team has since lost two from three. It goes into the match propping up Group D, a point behind its Uzbek opponent in a table that sees just three points separate top from bottom, the-afc.com reported.
Pakhtakor is a tough nut to crack at home, having beaten Al Ahli and drawn with Al Sadd in its two matches to date. Indeed, on its last appearance in the competition – in 2016 – it remained unbeaten in Tashkent, winning two and drawing one, despite exiting at the group stage.
By way of coincidence, though, its last home defeat in the AFC Champions League came exactly four years ago to the day – May 6, 2015 – when Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab claimed all three points in the Uzbek capital. If Persepolis can do likewise, it will breathe new life into its campaign; if not, it could be the end of the road.
