David Flower
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of Round 8 in the AFC Champions League group stage will be played on Tuesday in Doha, where the local Al-Rayyan will host Esteghlal Tehran. We propose a bet on goals in this match with strong chances of success.
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Match Preview
Al-Rayyan cannot boast of consistency in the Qatar Stars League, sitting in a modest eighth place with 18 points. The team is on a three-match winless streak, with two draws and one loss. Such form hardly inspires confidence ahead of their next fixture.
In the AFC Champions League, Al-Rayyan occupies the sixth spot, which guarantees participation in the playoffs, but the competition in the top half of the table is so tight that a loss in the next match could, under certain conditions, see them miss out on the next round. In the last round, Al-Rayyan secured a 2-1 away win against Al-Ain.
Esteghlal Tehran is having an underwhelming season in the Iranian Premier League. The team typically fights for the championship or at least a top-three finish, but this time they are sitting in a modest ninth place, just seven points clear of the relegation zone. However, it is unlikely that the team will face a real relegation threat, given their strong squad.
In the AFC Champions League, the Iranians have been more stable, occupying the eighth place in their group and staying within the playoff zone. In the final matches of 2024, the team failed to secure a win, but managed three draws. In the seventh round, Esteghlal hosted Al-Shorta and finished 1-1.
Probable Lineups
- Al-Rayyan: Younes – Ahmed, Garcia, Amaro, Naji – Surag, De Sart, Hatim, Trezeguet – Cuéda, Bencharke
- Esteghlal: Hosseini, Jalali, Silva, Falla, Rezaeyan, Zakipour, Rezavan, N'Dong, Masharipov, Eslami, Lechuk
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- Esteghlal has won three out of the last four encounters with Al-Rayyan.
- The "Over 2.5 Goals" bet has been successful in three of the last five matches of Al-Rayyan.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has been successful in two out of the last five encounters.
Prediction
Bookmakers favor the hosts, with odds for Al-Rayyan's victory around 2.10. We believe that Al-Rayyan will not lose, and our suggested bet is "Under 2.5 Goals" with odds of 1.81.
