Asian Champions League 2009

[yashar_fasihnia]

Alright FELLOW SARVARS, the draw is done.

We got a tough draw but definitely doable if we are on our top form and are able to concentrate in finishing our chances and our defense does its job well.

We are in group C with

Al Jazira (UAE)
Esteghlal (IRN)
Al Ittihad (KSA)
Umm Salal (QTR)

in that order.

depending on our position in the group, if we qualify, this is how the round of 16 will be.

Winner A vs Runner C
Winner C vs Runner B

Al Ittihad of KSA, is probably the toughest opponent an iranian team could get from west asia. they are hugely supporter, both financially and by fans. they have very good players both from KSA and often get good players from europe on loan (like Kallon a few years back) for ACL.
definitely our biggest threat in the group!

we also have al jazira from UAE who have in recent years been among the best UAE teams and this year, they are storming through in the UAE league.
they have set up a very good team of foreigners and experienced UAE national team players.
wat they lack is the experience in international games.
this saturday however, they will be playing a friendly match with bayern munchen in dubai. dubai sports will broadcast it (dont remmeber the exact time now but i will let u guys soon)
they are not as strong as ittihad, but definitely a strong opponent from us. they have good financial support as well being a team from the capital abu dhabi.

um salal of qatar is our 3rd opponent, and probably the only team who is gonna play for dignity and chances of qulifying is less. however, we should be careful cos they can easily gift away 3 points or even 6 points to their fellow KSA or UAE compatriots if they are knocked out.

we have a tough group, and we need to be on our top form, with our key players all healthy if we want to qualify from this group. its doable, but very difficult.

the matches start in march, and we dont know wats gonna happen till then, but best of luck to our boys!!!!

:cheerblu:

[OsaBlue]

tough group, but doesn't matter cause we are Esteghlal:cheerblu:
btw, it's ACL 2009-2010 season




Edit: it's just 2009 season

[Agha Kasra]

WTF What a tokhmi draw man... it couldn't get worse

1) we had 4 teams and all 4 of them got 3 other arab teams
2) Esteghlal got to play Saudi's biggest soosmar: Al-Ittihad

We need to be on TOP form to win this group....


ESTEGHLAL HAMLE!

[yashar_fasihnia]

ok, i checked it up.

al jazira - bayern munchen game is 5 pm dubai time on dubai sports, which is 4.30pm iran time, this coming saturday!

[yashar_fasihnia]

thanx for the correction osablue!

[G0happy]

This group should be called the middle eastern group :D

[yashar_fasihnia]

This group should be called the middle eastern group :D

all the groups are the same.
perspolis group B is also same, unless the indian team knocks out the UAE team in play offs.

saba and sepahans groups have uzbek teams instead of qatari teams...otherwise they also have saudi and UAE teams grouped with them...

[shayan20]

If Sepahan can beat AlIttihad home and away so can SS.
No doubt a tough group with Aljazeera and AlItiihad in it but the good thing is 2 teams go thorough.
SS can do it, so can Saba, why not!!

[yashar_fasihnia]

our first game is away to al ittihad guys...wat a way to start our campagin :D

shayan, sepahan had also lost to ittihad and been knocked out,, so its not that easy..but we definitely have the potential to beat them, or atleast qualify from the group as second.... inshalla all 4 teams will qualify and we will see an all iranian semi final and final :iranflag: With Esteghlal winning it - Kasra

[Agha Kasra]

lol yashar checkyour post again bro :D i like it more now:D

[yashar_fasihnia]

http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168460304.html

Al Ittihad leads Group of Death
Al Ittihad
Al Ittihad
DUBAI: Every tournament involving group matches has its group of death, and for the 2009 AFC Champions League, Group C appears to fit the bill quite nicely.

Two-time Asian champions Al Ittihad, United Arab Emirates’ Al Jazira, Iran’s Esteghlal and Umm Salal, of Qatar, are grouped together in what is expected to be a tight and exciting series of matches.

AFC Vice-President Yousef Al Serkal called it right as he discussed Group C, commenting: “It’s thrown up a tasty draw, hasn’t it?”

Al Ittihad, who qualified for a place in this year’s lucrative showcase following their runners-up finish in the Saudi Premier League, will be looking to build on last year’s campaign where they failed to progress past the group stages after finishing second to Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor.

However, despite the tough task ahead, the Tigers will take confidence from the revamped format of the tournament, which now sees the top two sides progress to the round of 16.

Al Jazira, meanwhile, have reaped the rewards of spending heavily last summer as they sit top of the newly formed UAE Football League. The Black Spiders spent a reported $20 million on Brazilian midfield duo Rafael Sobis and Fernando Biano in July, and with Biano leading the scoring charts with 10 goals in as many games, it seems to have paid dividends.

Esteghal are another side who are sitting top of their league, having picked up 40 points from their 21 matches so far this season.

This leaves Umm Salal with the arduous task of defeating three of West Asia’s best teams if they are to advance.

Positioned as they are – sixth in the Qatari Star League – it’s a big ask. But Magno Alves is finding form, netting four times in Umm Salal’s past two matches, and they will look at Group C as a chance for the underdogs to cause an upset.

[yashar_fasihnia]

lol yashar checkyour post again bro :D i like it more now:D

eyvalllllll!! :bow:

i hope i could rep myself!! :eyebrows:

[yashar_fasihnia]

guys...al jazeera is playing iman mobali's al wasl now live on dubai sports channel for those interested...
its half an hour past the game and al jazira is leading 2-0 already...

[Persianking]

Ok this is ACL so I am going to support SS as much as I support PP in ACL

I believe Esteghlal will make it 100%:bow:
They are currently in top form and have great players

This team cant lose in my opinion!

With players like Jabbari,Borhani and more they are going to win this easy.

I read the comments here and some said it will be difficult.
Ok Esteghlal has good teams in their group but I think with this performence in IPL they are going to win easy

Believe me;)

:eyebrows: :eyebrows:

Hope to see a final between PP and SS:bow: :eyebrows:

Good luck!

[Ghormeh Sabzi]

If Sepahan can beat AlIttihad home and away so can SS.
No doubt a tough group with Aljazeera and AlItiihad in it but the good thing is 2 teams go thorough.
SS can do it, so can Saba, why not!!
i love your positive attitude.. i KNOW we all can get through group stage


best of luck to ESTEGHLAL and our other fellow iranian clubs


AABIYETE!! :cheerblu: :cheerblu:

lets get another ACL crown in our resume.. it has been awhile

[Agha Kasra]

finally Ghormeh Sabzi az oon looneye Go Random Threadesh oomad biroon, be ma ham ye sari zad;)

Eyvaal dadash :cheerblu:

[G0happy]

finally Ghormeh Sabzi az oon looneye Go Random Threadesh oomad biroon, be ma ham ye sari zad;)

Eyvaal dadash :cheerblu:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
He has finally left Go Random and came to the Esteghlal thread where he should belong :D

[shayan20]

It's funny in this group both AlIttihad and SS have won this 2 times, so no wonder they call it the group of death.
I can't wait for the first match in Saudi:)

[Payam_S]

Best of luck to SS and you guys.
I wish the best for all our clubs in ACL.

[G0happy]

Best of luck to SS and you guys.
I wish the best for all our clubs in ACL.
Hopefully it will be our club vs your club in the final :D
Finally a winner between these 2 will be found :D

[yashar_fasihnia]

im watching al jazira vs bayern right now live on dubai sports channel...

i just found out al jazira who has been drawn with esteghlal, al ittihad of KSA and umm salal of qatar has 5 current UAE nationals, another 2 3 players who have just retired from UAE national team and are focusing on club football only, 3 - 4 very good foreigners a3 brazilians and 1 african if im not mistaken (1 striker fabio baiano who used to play in wolfsburg in 2004), 1 defender (rosario) and other 2 seem to be midfielders.... (ibrahim diyake and rafael sobis)

their coach, abal praga apparently is one of those coaches who plays different formations and he started the season with 3-5-2 and now, he mostly players 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1.....

this team is being underestimated in my opinion, and has great potential to become the "AL AIN of early 2000s"

[Payam_S]

الجزیره بازیکن 20 میلیون دلاری خریده است
قلعه نویی در خصوص حضور استقلال در لیگ قهرمانان آسیا و قرعه این تیم گفت: ما به همراه صباباتری در گروههای سختی قرار گرفته ایم و برنامه ریزی زیادی را می طلبد که بتوانیم از این مسابقات سربلند بیرون آمده و برای کشور خود افتخار کسب کنیم. ما ستادی را تدارک دیده ایم که تمامی مسابقات تیمهای حریف در گروه خودمان را آنالیز کرده و تمامی بازیکنان حریفان را زیر نظر داشته تا بتوانیم با شناختی که از آنان پیدا می کنیم به نقاط منفی آنها پی برده و از آنجا بتوانیم ضربه نهایی را بزنیم.

سرمربی تیم استقلال در ادامه خاطر نشان کرد: در گروه ما الجزیره و الاتحاد دو حریف بسیار سرسخت هستند و ما باید با غلبه بر این دو بتوانیم به مراحل بعدی صعود کنیم. اهمیت موفقیت در این مسابقات برای همه تیم ها بسیار زیاد است و به عنوان مثال تیم فوتبال الجزیره برای حضور موفق در این دوره از مسابقات لیگ بازیکن را به مبلغ 20 میلیون دلار خریداری کرده است.

وی در خصوص برگزاری مسابقات لیگ و لیگ قهرمانان گفت: این مسابقات در روزهای آینده فاصله زمانی بسیار کوتاهی خواهد داشت و امیدوار هستم که بچه ها بتوانند با آمادگی جسمانی خود تمامی این مسابقات را با موفقیت پشت سر بگذارند.

[yashar_fasihnia]

for those interested, here is some info about their coach: Abel Braga.

he is the same coach who lead Brazil's Internacional to championship of copa liberatodes and fifa world club championship in 2006 beating barcelona 1-0 in the finals

here are his managerial achievements:

Titles as a manager

* Campeonato Paranaense champion in 1998 with Atlético Paranaense.
* Campeonato Paranaense champion in 1999 with Coritiba.
* Campeonato Carioca champion in 2000 with Vasco.
* Campeonato Carioca champion and Taça Guanabara champion in 2004 with Flamengo.
* Campeonato Carioca champion and Taça Rio in 2005 with Fluminense.
* Copa Libertadores de América and FIFA Club World Cup in 2006 with Internacional.

[Agha Kasra]

The good part about the UAE teams are the facts that their goalies and defense sucks. The goalies MUST be from the emirates, other nationalities are not allowed (same shitty rule we have in Iran). These arab teams only buy strikers and AMFs.

If our defense is in topform and so are Jabbari, Borhani, Akbarpour, Januario we can definately beat them. Nothing is impossible

[Persianking]

I believe Esteghlal will not have many problems with this group
They will win all their games

They are in top form and will kill these arab teams!
Just wait and see!

SS in going to score many goals

[Agha Kasra]

the only thing that is worrying me is the fckedup IPL schedule

[Agha Kasra]

Guys what I just found out is that Al-Jazira is owned by the same guy who owns Manchester City. Sheik Tolombe bin Al Nahyan. This guy is going to invest in this team like crazy.

[yashar_fasihnia]

probably..i dont know...
in UAE, almost all clubs are owned and financed by sheikhs..
and i also know that abudhabi sheikhs (the capital of UAE) are the richest...
and i also know al jazira is a club from abu dhabi and has always bought expensive players like george weah and philip cocu in the past :o

[shayan_esteghlali]

if this al-sooskmar team buys the whole barcelona squad +their coach and kaka esteghlal will still soorakh them