AFC Champions League 2015

[Bi-honar]

Guys, here's a very interesting stat, which I hope holds true:

In the last two editions of the ACL (particularly in the last one since there were most instances), every team that won the first leg of their two legged playoff with the score of 1-0 at home, was the eventual winner of the duel!!!

In 2013, EsEs was the sole beneficiary but last year it happened 4 times in the knock-out rounds with Western Sydney Wanderers being the beneficiary twice, including the final itself against Al-Hilal!

Interestingly, Al-Hilal itself was one of the beneficiaries of this "rule" in the quarter-finals and the other game was between Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab in the round of 16.

Out of those 4 instances, the teams that won their home games 1-0, tied 0-0 in the 2nd game twice, won the 2nd game once and lost the 2nd game once but still came up on top on aggregate.

[Jinx off]

[persian_victory]

I am really looking forward to the next games. It's going to be more difficult but I'm sure Persepolis and Naft will make us and all of iran proud!

Might as well play Persepolis and Naft in ACL finals!

[PersianLegion]

Wrong again!

Schedule & Results:
24-02-2015
PERSEPOLIS 3 - 0 LEKHWIYA
03-03-2015
BUNYODKOR 0 - 1 PERSEPOLIS
17-03-2015
AL NASSR 3 - 0 PERSEPOLIS
08-04-2015
PERSEPOLIS 1 - 0 AL NASSR
22-04-2015
LEKHWIYA 3 - 0 PERSEPOLIS
06-05-2015
PERSEPOLIS 2 - 1 BUNYODKOR

She won all her home matches and an away match at Bunyodkor, and lost two away matches to the Saudi league and Qatari league champs in their own home soil which is not an anomaly by any stretch of the imagination! And she did this while the club officials changed coaching hands three times during the course of the season one of which was in the midst of the ACL competition. So I say again, she is taking the competition quite seriously in my book, and she is still very much in it!

And as for Naft, they are still very much in the competition as well, and this with such a young group of footballers in their maiden appearance in ACL, and with a coach who is in his first year coaching in IPL. They are one of the most promising teams in IPL at the moment, and Mansourian is one of the up and coming coaches in IPL.

Tractor and Foolad were focus on IPL and no explanation needed there. Naft rested some of key players and didn't used others properly to have better result on IPL championship we saw some of drastic result because of this mentality. Persepolis was also focus on remaining in IPL which is understandable. Other than that first match against Lekhwiya, Persepolis barely made it out of the group by penalty or with one goal difference. Persepolis ro shayad nabayd to on list mizashtam vali ba in hal bishtar havaseshon to IPL bood.

[AminGP]

Tractor and Foolad were focus on IPL and no explanation needed there. Naft rested some of key players and didn't used others properly to have better result on IPL championship we saw some of drastic result because of this mentality. Persepolis was also focus on remaining in IPL which is understandable. Other than that first match against Lekhwiya, Persepolis barely made it out of the group by penalty or with one goal difference. Persepolis ro shayad nabayd to on list mizashtam vali ba in hal bishtar havaseshon to IPL bood.

Naft rested his key players when they were sitting on the top of the group not bottom like Tractor where they needed a win or else they would have been out. The problem is that Toni didn't believe in his player and team that they could qualify to the next round, otherwise he would have not done that. And how was the outcome for them? They didn't qualify to the next round and they didn't win the league either. Silly decision by coach.

[naderb94]

As much as I would love for both Perspolis and Naft to advance, it would be a miracle if they found a way to advance. Both Perspolis and Naft have had a VERY difficult time playing on the road. Naft did beat al shabab but al ahli is much stronger. Had Naft won 3-0, then i would have felt very confident about them. I think Perspolis has ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHANCE! They looked awful in the first leg and got really lucky from an own goal.
Predictions:
Al Hilal 3 - Perspolis 0 ----- Hilal advances
Al Ahli 3 - Naft 1 ---- Ahli advances

I know I feel like a debby downer but these two Saudi teams are just more talented right now. Naft has the best chance to advance than PP but dont see either advancing... (hopefully im wrong)

[persianfire]

Torky called a questionable penalty.

@5:10

[PersianLegion]

I saw Al Hilal match against Al Nassr which they lost. Al Hilal good MD Al Faraj is out, so their middle section is weak but I don't think Persepolis can tolerate the Pressure in Riadh. There is 30% chance for Persepolis to advance from this level.

Naft in other hand has a good chance. Al Ahli is not as strong as Al Hilal or Al Nassr and Naft defense is pretty good. I give a 60% chance for Naft to advance to the next level.

[Z Joon]

I saw Al Hilal match against Al Nassr which they lost. Al Hilal good MD Al Faraj is out, so their middle section is weak but I don't think Persepolis can tolerate the Pressure in Riadh. There is 30% chance for Persepolis to advance from this level.

Naft in other hand has a good chance. Al Ahli is not as strong as Al Hilal or Al Nassr and Naft defense is pretty good. I give a 60% chance for Naft to advance to the next level.

I'd say that's about right. Persepolis has a tough task next week, but Naft should be able to advance if Mansourian prepares them well for the match, they probably will just hold out to get the QF pass. Scores such as 1-1, 0-0, 1-2 loss, sees them through.

[Bi-honar]

Situation update on PP players for the Al-Hilal away game (there was also a major bombing of a Shia mosque in Eastern Saudi Arabia today, so there will definitely be political dimensions to both games and security will be tight):

* Kafshgari: Injured and unlikely to even accompany PP to Riyadh

* Bengar: Still injured, but will go to Saudi Arabia with the team.

* Aliasgari: Also injured bu the medical staff are trying to make him game ready.

* Umana: Also injured and looking 50/50 for the game (this would be a HUGE loss for PP).

* Other players missing from before: Gabriel, Sadeghian and Khanzadeh

PP Will have a VERY tough return game in very hostile territory without a doubt. The only good news at the moment is that the onus is on Al-Hilal to beat them and beat them with a good score (more pressure on Al-Hilal).

The good news is that until this point, Al-Hilal has been unable to score more than 2 goals on their ACL opponents at home than they did away and with the exception of the Foolad game, they were scored on in the other two games.

I think it's all going to come down to whether a moment of brilliance from Taremi or Alishah can give them that single goal in Riyadh and whether Sosha will be in form to prevent that 3rd goal.

Don't forget, even a 2-1 loss for PP is enough to see them through. This is a situation where I don't mind seeing a parked bus.

[PersianLegion]

Situation update on PP players for the Al-Hilal away game (there was also a major bombing of a Shia mosque in Eastern Saudi Arabia today, so there will definitely be political dimensions to both games and security will be tight):

* Kafshgari: Injured and unlikely to even accompany PP to Riyadh

* Bengar: Still injured, but will go to Saudi Arabia with the team.

* Aliasgari: Also injured bu the medical staff are trying to make him game ready.

* Umana: Also injured and looking 50/50 for the game (this would be a HUGE loss for PP).

* Other players missing from before: Gabriel, Sadeghian and Khanzadeh

PP Will have a VERY tough return game in very hostile territory without a doubt. The only good news at the moment is that the onus is on Al-Hilal to beat them and beat them with a good score (more pressure on Al-Hilal).

The good news is that until this point, Al-Hilal has been unable to score more than 2 goals on their ACL opponents at home than they did away and with the exception of the Foolad game, they were scored on in the other two games.

I think it's all going to come down to whether a moment of brilliance from Taremi or Alishah can give them that single goal in Riyadh and whether Sosha will be in form to prevent that 3rd goal.

Don't forget, even a 2-1 loss for PP is enough to see them through. This is a situation where I don't mind seeing a parked bus.

Sosha is not reliable, Branko is not a defensive minded coach, Umania and Bengar are not in defense are recipe for no park the bus style. Gabriel is not in MD which means a hit to our effective offensive playing. All pressure is on Norouzi, Nourollahi, Taremi and Alisha. A neat and well behaved Sadeghian could help the team here... the only single advantage Perspolis has is Al Hilal is missing its good MF, Al Faraj.

[AminGP]

Torky called a questionable penalty.

@5:10

Didn't look like a penalty to me.

[04041374]

When 100.000 fans are not enough

[teammelli91]

Might as well play Persepolis and Naft in ACL finals!

Can you imagine, how much hate Naft Tehran and NT fans would get from Persepolis fans if they won that hypothetical ACL final?

Because it's very important for Persepolis and Persepolis fans to get their first star on their jersey. They would go cRaZy!

[babak_iran]

Can you imagine, how much hate Naft Tehran and NT fans would get from Persepolis fans if they won that hypothetical ACL final?

Because it's very important for Persepolis and Persepolis fans to get their first star on their jersey. They would go cRaZy!

not gonna happen,especially with this squad.

[Ab-Gosht]

al hilal was missing samaras and thiago neves in tehran. 2 of their best players