Sepahan set to field second string

AFC- With a quarter-final spot out of reach and morale at a low point after a heart-breaking loss in the Iranian league title-decider last weekend, Sepahan are expected to field a second string side for the visit of Group A winners Kuruvchi on Wednesday.

The Esfahan side’s hopes of reaching the last eight of the AFC Champions League ended two weeks ago when they lost 2-1 to Al Ittihad Aleppo in Syria.

But worse was to follow last Saturday when a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time saw them lose 2-1 to Perspolis on the final day of the Iran Pro League season, handing the title to the Tehran club.

“This is a very difficult time for us,” said assistant coach Karim Ghambari of the mood in the Sepahan camp.

“We lost the league in the last minute of the season and are very sad. But hour by hour, and day by day the players are getting better.”

Sepahan’s only chance of silverware this season now rests on the Hazfi Cup, a competition they have won in three of the past four seasons.

With Sepahan scheduled to face struggling Pegah in the quarter-finals, coach Jorvan Vieira is expected to give his first choice players a rest for the game against Kuruvchi at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Goalkeeper Masoud Homami, defenders Hadi Jaffari and Jalal Akbari, midfielders Hosein Kazemi and Abdulwahab Abolheil and striker Seyed Salehi will be rested while midfielder Hossein Papi is suspended.

Vieira is also missing defenders Hadi Aghili and Mohsen Bengar and midfielder Ehsan Hajsafi who are training with the Iran national team for next month’s World Cup qualifiers, while the Iraqi duo of Emad Mohammed Redha and Haitham Kadhim are also away on international duty.

In contrast, the mood in the Kuruvchi camp is upbeat after their 2-0 win over Al Ittihad that saw them reach the AFC Champions League knockout stage at the first attempt.

Kuruvchi have also won ten games in a row in the Uzbek League, thumping Shurtan 7-0 last Friday for the biggest win in club history.

And coach Mirdjalal Kasimov is not about to let his team take their foot off the gas against Sepahan.

“Although we are already assured of qualifying for the knockout stage, we will still be playing for a positive result in Teheran as we want to uphold the image and position of the club,” said Kasimov.

“We plan to take all of our key players to Teheran and then decide who will play against Sepahan and who will be rested.”

Striker Ulugbek Bakaev and defender Bakhtier Ashurmatov have missed the trip to Iran as the pair are undergoing treatment on injuries in Germany but the team is otherwise at full strength.