Preview MD2 - Group C: Sharjah (UAE) vs Persepolis FC (IRN)

Sharjah: UAE Pro League champions Sharjah host Iran Pro League winners Persepolis as both sides look to bounce back from opening day defeats in Group C of the 2020 AFC Champions League on Tuesday.


Sharjah were beaten 1-0 by Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun FC last week, while Persepolis’ Matchday One trip to Doha saw them concede two early goals to lose 2-0 to Al Duhail SC.

Returning to the competition after 16 years of absence, the Emirati champions hope to get off the mark on Tuesday, having failed to find the back of the net in their first game. In fact, Sharjah had the lowest shooting accuracy of any team on Matchday One, with only one of their seven shots against Al Taawoun hitting the target.

Sharjah’s attacking struggles are, perhaps, not surprising; coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari’s side have failed to replace Cape Verde striker Ricardo Gomes who was offloaded to Ittihad Kalba in January. Instead, they opted to add more width with the signing of former Kashima Antlers and Al Ain winger Caio Lucas.

Despite dominating the Iran Pro League since 2017 with three consecutive titles, Persepolis’ impressive run of back-to-back AFC Champions League semi-finals in 2017 and 2018 gave way to a group-stage exit in the 2019 edition.

Over the past 12 months, the Tehran giants replaced coach Branko Ivankovic with Gabriel Calderon, but the Argentine’s reign lasted just five months before he stepped down. In came former club icon Yahya Golmohammedi with the stated objective of bouncing back to compete in the advanced stages of the AFC Champions League.

Sharjah FC (UAE) v Persepolis FC (IRN)
Venue: Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Kick-off: February 18, 19:35 UTC+4