Former TM defender Nosrati hails IPL title race
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Loading...Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Former defender of Iran national football team, Mohammad Nosrati, believes that Iran Professional League (IPL) has a three-way title race this season.
At the end of the 12th week of the 2021/22 IPL, Esteghlal leads the table with 28 points and are three clear of Persepolis at the top. Sepahan, the other favorites, remain third with 22 points
“There are some teams at the league who show consistency, quality, and determination. Aluminum Arak, Gol Gohar Sirjan, and Foolad Khuzestan are among them. They have been at the top level so far and have made the competitions more exciting,” said Nosrati in his interview with Tehran Times.
“However, I think that the major favorites to win the title are three teams: Persepolis, Esteghlal, and Sepahan. Everyone wants a three-horse title race for the IPL title, but we cannot blame other teams for their quality.
“Persepolis, the title holders with five consecutive championships in a row, started the league not in the best way, but they are again on track to notch an impressive title win. The Reds’ win against Sepahan proved that Yahya Golmohammadi’s side is once again the favorites to win the title, and I think they deserve it,” said the former Persepolis player.
Nosrati believes that it is a good point for Iranian football to have more and more favorites.
“We should be proud of the competition in the IPL and it feels good because we are in the middle of the race and there is still lots of intensity in the games and the results are completely unpredictable. Title races involving multiple teams are common in top leagues, given how they require a number of different factors, and good teams, coming together,” he added.
“Esteghlal have gone invincible so far and are top of the league right now. Farhad Majidi is going to make the Esteghlal fans’ dream come true by winning the title after many years. However, I think that Esteghlal and Sepahan were a bit lucky because they have been awarded 3-0 wins by the disciplinary verdict against Gol Gohar. In my opinion, it was not a fair verdict and affected the integrity of the IPL table.” Nosrati concluded.
