They are strong in Tehran

Persepolis reached the final of the tournament last year, they played a bore draw in their home vs Kashima, but in the second leg they suffered a 2-0 loss in Japan. They are quite a strong team, we can surely call them a 'home team'. Moreover, they are still undefeated after 20 consecutive home games, both in their domestic League and the Asian Champions League. After a mediocre start in their domestic league, they improved and quickly got back on top. Last Thursday, Ali Alipour's goal gave them the 1-0 win vs Sanat Naft in their most recent match for the League. Their defensive line is excellent and they barely concede goals. Head coach Branko Ivanovic helped them significantly to improve in the last years. Allishah and Moslhem won't perform tonight due to their injuries.

Pakhtakor, a team from Uzbekistan, are getting into deep water. Their domestic League hasn't started yet and Pakhtakor have played only two official games for Asian Champions League so far. In these qualification games, they registered a 2-1 win vs Al Quwa in home and a 1-2 away win vs Al Nassr. This group is quite difficult, so they will do their best to have a successful journey.

Persepolis are a great home when playing in Tehran. They are the favourites in this one, in addition, their opponent haven't played any official games yet. The home win is undoubtedly my call.