Group D: Sepahan to Start 2022 ACL with Pakhtakor
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Sepahan will open its AFC Champions League 2022 campaign in Group D against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakoron at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah on Thursday.
The Uzbek side is returning to the competition for the 18th time, a record only matched by Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal SFC, while Sepahan is Iran’s most frequent representatives in the AFC Champions League, this being its 13th appearance.
The two sides come into the centralized competition with contrasting seasons; the Iranian Pro League was concluded on Tuesday, with Sepahan managing a third place finish having not lost a game since late January. On the other hand, the Uzbekistan Super League season is still in its infancy, just four matches in and Pakhtakor has won three and drawn one.
Since the last edition, Pakhtakor had a change of coach with Peter Huistra being replaced by North Macedonian head coach Slavce Vojneski. Talismanic winger Sardor Rashidov is back at the club, as is Odiljon Xamrobekov but Dostonbek Khamdamov has left to Qatar’s Al Sailiya on loan.
Sepahan remains unchanged in terms of coaching staff, but has recruited forward Shahriyar Moghanlou from Portugal’s CD Santa Clara. The forward spent last season on loan at Persepolis for whom he scored four goals in six AFC Champions League appearances. Masoud Rigi was brought in from Esteghlal, having also turned out for them in the last edition.
The two sides have met before in the competition - all the way back in 2010 when they were drawn together in Group C.
In Tashkent, Pakhtakor scraped a 2-1 win thanks to an Alexander Gaynrikh strike in the 71st minute after Ahmad Jamshidian canceled out Artur Gevorkyan’s opener. In Isfahan, Sepahan scored two late goals to seal a 2-0 win yet ultimately, it was Pakhtakor who progressed from the group.
