Esteghlal vs. Al-Nassr: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Tuesday, Al-Nassr will face Esteghlal, an Iranian team, in their AFC Champions League return match at the Al-Rashid Stadium.

The last time these two sides met in this tournament was in May 2011; the Capital Blues pulled off a 2-1 comeback win in Group B thanks to goals scored in the second half by Farhad Majidi and Hawar Mulla Mohammed.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After a disappointing start to the current Iranian Pro League season, Esteghlal was thrashed 3-0 by Zob Ahan in Friday's match at the Shahre Qods Stadium.

After a lackluster first half, Zob Ahan cruised to a resounding victory thanks to a brace of goals from Majid Aliyari, who set up Omid Latifi's goal in the 70th minute. At the same time, the Capital Blues were left empty-handed.

Raphael Silva and Mehrdad Mohammadi scored in the first half to give Esteghlal a 2-1 league victory against Havadar on October 5. Before that, they had gone winless in their previous four games.

Their attention now shifts to the AFC Champions League, where they have drawn their first two matches in the West. Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh's squad is now eleventh in the Pro League with eight points after seven games.

Esteghlal began their 2024–25 Champions League campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of Al–Gharafa on September 16. Two weeks later, in their second match against a Qatari team, they lost 2-0 to Al–Sadd.

In contrast, Al-Nassr maintained their lead in the Saudi Pro League standings with a 2-1 win against Al-Shabab at the Al-Shabab Club Stadium.

An own goal by Ali Al-Hassan in the 90th minute canceled out an opener by Aymeric Laporte. The Argentines have won twice in the 69th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo calmly converted to give the visitors a second lead. In the 13th minute of stoppage time, Al-Shabab player Abderrazak Hamdallah missed the penalty spot.

In all competitions, Al-Nassr have won their last six games in a row, including a 2-1 King's Cup round of 32 match against Al Hazem on September 23. Since losing 4-1 to Al-Hilal in the Super Cup on August 17, they have won seven of their last ten games and drawn three of their last twelve.

After a bye in the Pro League, the Global One will be back in action in the Championship League, where they enjoy a four-point lead after two matches. They are now in third position, four points behind first place.

In their group opener on September 16, Al-Nassr played to a dismal 1-1 draw with Al-Shorta. Two weeks later, at Al-Awwal Park, they defeated Al-Rayyan 2-1 thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Ronaldo.

In their next match, Stefano Pioli's squad will face a club they faced in the Champions League in 2011, when they split the two games they played in Group B.

Two months later, Al-Nassr lost 2-1 in their rematch after returning from a goal down in their first meeting on March 15 (goals from Hussain Abdul Ghani and Abdulrahman Al Qahtani).

Esteghlal vs. Al-Nassr Team News

Esteghlal will be missing defender Abolfazl Jalali and forward Mehdi Mehdipour due to cruciate ligament and hamstring injuries, respectively.

In addition to Roozbeh Cheshmi, who is nursing a tibia and fibula injury, Imam Salimi will sit out Tuesday's match. He hasn't played since suffering an injury in September's match against Al-Sadd.

Ronaldo, who scored the game-winning goal against Al-Shabab on Friday, will be looking to continue his impressive form after reaching 907 goals for his career and 12 for club and country in 14 games this season.

The Al-Nassr attack should include him, Angelo, and Anderson Talisca, a former Liverpool attacker; the defense should consist of Salem Alnajdi, Laporte, Mohamed Simakan, and Nawaf Boushal.

Regarding injuries, 27-year-old Sami Al-Najei will not be available to Pioli for a long time due to his cruciate ligament injury, which he sustained in August.

Our Predictions

Al Naassr to win @ 1.45 on Sky247.ng

Esteghlal will face a formidable opponent in Al-Nassr on Tuesday. This high-flying team is aiming to take over first place in the Western standings as they seek to establish themselves and kick off their Champions League campaign.

We're betting that Pioli's side will win at the Al-Rashid Stadium because they're playing at a high level right now, and Ronaldo isn't slowing down.