The Blues are thinking of the second Qatari hunt / live report: Al-Gharafa 0 - Esteghlal 0
Esteghlal is looking for its second consecutive win and six points in the Asian Elite League, this time at Al-Gharafa House, after a decisive victory against Al-Sad.
According to "Verzeh Se", Esteghlal has faced Al Gharafa in its second match of the Asian Elite League competition at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium. In the first week, Blue Poshan defeated Al-Sad with three goals, and with three points and a positive goal difference of three, they ranked second in the West region table. Al-Gharafa also entered this match without points after losing 2-1 against Al-Hilal.
Two teams have reached this meeting with different conditions. After winning 3-0 against Al-Sad, Esteghlal drew 1-1 against Tractor in the Premier League and still maintained its unbeaten streak. Al-Gharafa, however, lost to Al-Wakrah in their last match in the Qatar Stars League with a score of 3-2, and now they are trying to make up for the recent results and get their first Asian point.
Pedro Martinez has chosen an attacking combination against Esteghlal. Yassin Brahimi and Adam Onas, along with Frank Magri, form the host's offensive triangle, and Fabricio Diaz and Farjani Sassi are two well-known figures in the Gharafa midfield. Ismail Bennasser, Mason Holgate and Florinel Coman are not in the starting line-up of the Qatar representative.
Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh has entered Esteghlal with the same three-back structure. Rostam Ashourmatov, Saman Fallah and Aref Agassi are opposite Habib Farabbasi, and Saleh Hardani and Hossein Gudarzi are the two side players of the team. Rouzbe Cheshmi is playing with the captain's armband next to Amirmohammed Razzakinia, and Jalaluddin Masharipov and Ismail Qolizadeh are behind Saeed Saharkhizan.
Game from the second week of the league stage - Asian Elite League season 2026-27
Monday: 20/07/1405, time: 21:45
Stadium: Thani Bin Jassim, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Referee team: Alex King from Australia / Assistants: Andrew Mimarakis and Kearney Robinson from Australia / Fourth referee: Rasul Mamedov from Turkmenistan / VAR referee: Adam Kersey from Australia / VAR assistant: Bradley Wright from Australia
Ahmed Koneh, Abdurrahman Fayez al-Rashdi, Seydou Sano, Dami Traore, Ayoub Mohammad Al-Alawi, Saifuddin Hassan Fadlallah, Fabricio Diaz, Farjani Sassi, Yassin Brahimi, Adam Onas and Frank Magri
Habib Farabbasi, Rostam Ashourmatov, Saman Fallah, Arif Agassi, Hossein Guderzi, Saleh Hardani, Amirmohammed Razzakinia, Rozbe Cheshmi, Jalaluddin Masharipov, Ismail Qolizadeh and Saeed Sahrkhizan.
* In this match, Esteghlal entered the field wearing a white uniform and Al-Gharafa is wearing his yellow shirt.
* After sitting on the bench in front of Tractor, Rouzbe Cheshmi returned to the main team and wore the captain's armband of Esteghlal.
* Jalaluddin Masharipov has been included in the main lineup for the first time after returning to the field after coming in as a substitute in the matches against Aluminum, Pikan, Al-Sad and Tractor.
* After participating in the group training and passing the final test, Yaser Asani is on the Esteghlal bench and is one of Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh's options for the second half.
* Before the match, Rostam Ashurmatov emphasized in an interview with the Asian Football Confederation TV that Esteghlal will enter the field to gain three points.
* Pejman Montazeri, the former defender of Esteghlal, who has a history of playing in Qatari football, met with the team members before the match and announced his presence in the stadium to support the Blues.