Today, Al-Duhail will play against Persepolis in the second round of the AFC Champions League group stage at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.
In the Qatar Stars League, Al-Duhail is in 5th place, having compiled 10 points. In the previous round, the team defeated Al-Markhiya 2:1 on the road, with head coach Hernan Crespo choosing a 4-2-3-1 set-up. In the first round of the group stage, the team drew 0:0 away against Istiqlol.
The club's recent successes are tied to the former Argentine national team forward Crespo. He led his charges to their first-ever AFC Champions League semi-final last season. In early September, Al-Duhail secured Coutinho on loan. The Brazilian fell out of favour at Aston Villa and decided to move to the Middle East, with the Qatari club paying his entire salary.
Persepolis is the most decorated club in Iran. Currently, the club is in top place in the league table, with 10 points from 4 matches. In the Champions League, the first round ended in a defeat to Al-Nasr, after which the team hasn’t played any matches. Head coach Yahya Golmohammadi employs a 4-1-4-1 set-up.
Persepolis could negatively be affected by the situation in their country -- the stands of their home stadium were recently demolished, matches are being played without spectators, and unrest continues in the country. The greatest loss is the injury of their main goalkeeper Beiranvand.
The rivals have played against each other 8 times, with Al-Duhail winning 4 times and losing 3 times. The last time these teams clashed was during the COVID-affected 2020 AFC Champions League group stage, where Al-Duhail prevailed both at home, 2:0, and away, 1:0.
Persepolis managed to keep all their key players in the team, despite interest from European clubs, but facing the Qataris will be a tough task. I back the hosts for the win, and the final score could very well be 1:0 in their favour.
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