ACL: Group D: Al Pakhtakor (UZB) v Persepolis FC (IRN)[Preview]
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Loading...AFC – TASHKENT, Pakhtakor Central Stadium plays host to a classic six-pointer between Pakhtakor and Persepolis in Group D of the 2019 AFC Champions League on Monday.
The hosts are third in the group with five points, one point ahead of their opponents. The two sides are still in the thick of the battle for knock-out stage places, with the other two Group D sides only marginally ahead of them.
Both teams fell to 2-1 away defeats on the previous matchday; Persepolis losing to Al Ahli in Jeddah, while Pakhtakor were beaten by Al Sadd in Doha, leaving the Qatari side top of the group with seven points and Al Ahli second with six.
Marat Bikmaev had opened the scoring for Pakhtakor and Persepolis got their equaliser through Mario Budimir as the two teams split the points on the opening matchday.
Should Persepolis be eliminated from the group stage, this would be the second year running that the AFC Champions League losing finalists fail to reach the knock-out stage in the following year. Al Hilal had reached the final in 2017, but exited at the first hurdle in 2018.
