Esteghlal, one of Asia’s most recognisable teams return to the continent showpiece for the first time in three years. Recent campaigns have been pretty miserable for the the Blues, a state of affairs that persists to this day with a crushing transfer ban hitting them only at the start of the year, denying them and neutral football fans alike to witness a central midfield duo made up of Asian legends Andranik Teymourian and Server Djeparov for the upcoming Champions League campaign.
Ban withstanding it’s been a pretty productive last week for Esteghlal; they were able to inch into the group stage after a penalty shoot out victory over a Xavi Hernandez led Al-Sadd (the Spaniard has now failed to reach the ACL group stages in two playoff attempts), before clinching all three points in the all important Tehran derby with fellow ACL competitors and current Persian Gulf Pro League leaders Persepolis.
Another Asian great Persepolis can hardly complain given their transfer dealings of the last year, bringing in Iranian internationals Jalal Hosseini and Alireza Beiranvand to supplement an already growing list of national team squad hopefuls. That being said, the last week has shown whatever Alireza Mansourian has brought into Esteghlal during his short tenure, makes you believe that the Blue half of Iran’s capital city could have something of a redemption in form ahead of the ACL, with Kaveh Rezaei leading the line (after impressing in the same competition for Zob Ahan last year) you could punt for a lot worse.
One of their group rivals in the first round are returning ACL finalists from 2015 Al-Ahli Dubai. An all too good example of the erratic nature of the domestic Arabian Gulf League, Ahli return as domestic champions, sandwiched by two (so far) disappointing league campaigns; a lowly 7th placed finish in 2014/15 and this season, where they currently trail leaders Al-Jazira by a considerable 9 point margin. As they proved two years ago however, a lacking domestic campaign can inspire a change of scenery in Champions League football, and with a strike force that comprises of Asamoah Gyan, Everton Ribeiro, Ahmed Khalil and Lima (once returned from injury) they’ll be handily tipped, on paper at least to go far.
In the void left by the usual suspects, a more gritty, defensively organised approach has reaped the rewards in the West, especially from the less fancied teams in the draw. Last year’s runs from Zob Ahan and Lokomotiv Tashkent, may not have been aesthetically pleasing, but they warranted their progression and were arguably the story of the year in the West. They were the only two sides to progress to knockout stages unbeaten, with the meanest defences along the way. Zob Ahan, tournament specialists in recent campaigns return as Hazfi Cup champions, while Loko, as reigning UFPL champions will have to do without their talismanic playmaker Djeparov who has ended up at Sepahan on loan for the rest of the season.
Relying on the blueprint that a system and clear style of play is usurping quality on paper, the Leicester City of Iran, Esteghlal Khuzestan enter for their ACL debut. Solid, organised but far from flashy, Esteghlal like their English counterparts are predictably struggling in their domestic defence (currently lying in 7th in the PGPL) and will have little pressure applied to them to succeed on the continent. Serial Champions League team-hopper Aloys Nong is always a credible goal threat in this competition, while Mohammad Tayebi is looking to finish his career on a high after peaking over the last 12 months, as the resolute linchpin in the Persian champions’ defence.
Predictable money may be better placed however on those who achieved the most last term. Finalists Al-Ain look a decent bet again, given Omar Abdulrahman avoided leaving in the winter and they've brought in experienced Saudi forward Nasser Al-Shamrani in attack to provide that killer instinct severely lacked against Jeonbuk late last year. Al-Shamrani’s parent club Al-Hilal also look in good shape, with a tight grasp on the Saudi Pro.League title race at present, with the acquisition of Omar Hawsawi from fellow title rivals Al-Ahli Jeddah proving a defensive master stroke so far domestically.
While they may be lacking their defensive bedrock, the reigning Saudi champions Ahli remain poised to mark a challenge. The usual attacking cohort of Omar Al-Somah and Taisir Al-Jassim is boosted by some credible service supplied by one of the best players of the last 12 months in Iraqi international Saad Abdulameer and Abdulfattah Assiri who has impressed in his first season since moving from local rivals Al-Ittihad.
Elsewhere, a case could be made for a Qatari challenge, with the return of another familiar face to the fold in Al-Rayyan, led by another regular on the continental scene Sebastian Soria. Or will it eventually be time for an Ali Makbkhout inspired Al-Jazira to take the initiative; the current Emirati pace setters are finally in the groove and finding some consistently after letting down admirers over the last few campaigns.
One thing we’re assuming is that the finalist spot looks destined to come from the Gulf, with the usual lurking presence of the Uzbek Pro League taking a back seat from contention. The diminishing power of their domestic game runs in stark contrast with their national team fortunes which remain positive in World Cup qualification. A clear trend of outward transfers seems to have been behind this; key players at key clubs, with the likes of Igor Sergeev and Egor Krimets at Pakhtakor and Sardar Rashidov at Bunyodkor having moved elsewhere in Asia; great for national team progression, but not so great for their home clubs they’ve left behind.
In each of the last two editions Uzbekistan have provided 4 participants to the group stage, this term however they only just scraped two. In the long run a penalty shootout victory in this year’s ACL playoffs for Bunyodkor against last season’s semi-finalists El-Jaish could be pivotal to the league’s longevity. Amongst a talented home based lineup that breaks from the old ambitions of high spending, Dostonbek Khamdamov and Eldor Shomurodov eyed up as the next stars to move abroad (maybe even to make inroads into Europe) are a couple of players with “one to watch” tags affixed to them. With little made of their hopes, the Uzbek clubs may be merely keen to avoid another clean sweep of group exits, as was recorded in 2015.
As we edge closer to kick off, while the general consensus remains that the East remain out in front, the draw of clubs in the West looks extremely enticing. With a mixture of the established (Esteghlal, Al-Hilal, Persepolis) along with the new (Esteghlal Khuzestan, Al-Taawoun), we could be looking at a pivotal season given the impact this may have on the national game. I for one am quick to grumble that West Asian players are too cautious when it comes to testing themselves abroad either in East Asia or Europe, however with so much talent now playing in WCQ one week, then the ACL the next, the region’s game can only benefit.
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