AL Shabab test for two-time champions Esteghlal
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 24, 2014
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Two-time Asian champions Esteghlal lost to Korea Republic's FC Seoul in the semi-finals of last year's AFC Champions League. |
Two-time Asian champions Esteghlal will look to build on last year's semi-final appearance as the AFC Champions League returns on Tuesday, although with Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab making the trip to Azadi Stadium, Amir Ghalenoei's Iranian champions will see their Group A credentials firmly examined.
Esteghlal, who won the Asian Club Championship title in both 1971 and 1991, had failed to progress beyond the Round of 16 in their first five appearances in the AFC Champions League until enjoying their best performance in the competition last year when reached the semi-finals before losing to FC Seoul.
Iran captain Javad Nekounam did join AFC Cup champions Kuwait Sports Club at the start of the year, but with Ghalenoei retaining the majority of his squad from the previous campaign and with Esteghlal currently just a point off the top of the Iran Pro League table, the Blues will look to transfer that domestic form onto the continental stage.
Fellow former semi-finalists Al Shabab, though, also again have continental aspirations of their own having been edged out on away goals by Japan's Kashiwa Reysol at the quarter-final stage last year.
But having lost the services of Saudi Arabia striker Nassir Al Shamrani and Korean defender Kwak Tae-hwi to domestic rivals Al Hilal, Al Shabab are also set to be without Naif Hazazi with the former Al Ittihad frontman currently sidelined through injury.
Also in Group A on Tuesday, Al Jazira welcome Emir Cup winners Al Rayyan of Qatar to the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Al Jazira reached the Round of 16 for the first time in four attempts in 2012 only to win just one game in the competition last year, although Walter Zenga's side beat Dubai 2-0 on Thursday thanks to two goals from Ecuador international Felipe Caicedo to remain third in the domestic standings.
Al Rayyan have never progressed beyond the group stage of the AFC Champions League in five attempts, but have boosted their ranks ahead of a third consecutive appearance with Argentina international Lucho Gonzalez joining from Porto last month while Manuel Jiminez's side beat Al Ahli 4-1 also on Thursday thanks to a hat-trick from Nigerian striker Kalu Uche.
Also in the West, Group B's opening round of fixtures sees play-off winners El Jaish of Qatar take on Iran's Foolad Khouzestan while Saudi champions Al Fateh make their AFC Champions League debut with the visit of two-time semi-finalists Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan.
After reaching the Round of 16 last year, El Jaish secured their second consecutive AFC Champions League campaign with wins over Uzbekistan's Nasaf and 2013 AFC Cup finalists Qadsia SC from Kuwait, although Korea Republic midfielder Ko Seul-ki will miss the meeting with Foolad due to suspension.
Their Iranian opponents, Foolad, are returning to the AFC Champions League after an absence of eight years and the youthful outfit will look to midfielder Shahab Karami and captain Bakhtiar Rahmani to help them improve on their 2006 group stage elimination.
Debutants Al Fateh, meanwhile, will be hoping prolific striker Doris Salomo can transfer his goalscoring feats from the domestic league onto the continental stage after the Congolese frontman netted 17 goals last season as his side unheralded claimed a surprise domestic title.
Uzbekistan champions Bunyodkor, however, have their own dynamic forward in the shape of Ukrainian Oleksandr Pyshchur, who topped the scoring charts with 19 goals last season as the Tashkent side reclaimed the domestic title.
In the East, Chinese Super League runners-up Shandong Luneng entertain Thai treble winners Buriram United in Group E, while Japan's Cerezo Osaka travel to Korea Republic to face domestic champions Pohang Steelers.
Goalkeeper Wang Dalei is set to start for Shandong under newly appointed Brazilian coach Cuca following his switch from Shanghai Shenhua, although the highly-rated custodian will have to be alert to keep out 2013 quarter-finalists Buriram.
Three-time Asian champions Pohang, meanwhile, will look to neutralize Cerezo's celebrated new-look attack of 2010 FIFA World Cup MVP Diego Forlan and explosive young striker Yoichiro Kakitani who netted 21 times in the J.League last season.
"Pohang are the current Korean champions. They are a very young and talented team and they play without any foreigners in the team which adds to their strength and quality," said Cerezo coach Ranko Popovic.
"Not only were we inspired by Kashiwa Reysol's achievement last year as they made the semi-finals, I feel the rest of the Japanese football community were also inspired by the result and we have to work harder to get the results to become champions of Asia.
"We want to show the quality and strength of Japanese football in Asia's biggest club competition."
Finally in Group F, 2013 finalists FC Seoul will look to begin their recovery following the off-season departures of influential captain Ha Dae-sung and prolific striker Dejan Damjanovic against Australia's Central Coast Mariners, while J.League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima entertain China's Beijing Guoan.
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