Zobahan and Tractorsazi will face their rivals in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.
It is do or die for Lokomotiv and Zobahan when the second and third-placed sides face off in Group B with the winners to advance to second place at Lokomotiv Stadium, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the AFC reported on its website.
Sardor Mirzaev netted a brace as Lokomotiv claimed an excellent 4-1 win away at Al Wahda of the UAE on Matchday Five to move level on six points with Zobahan, which lost 1-0 at home to Qatar’s Al Duhail.
With the teams going into the final game on the same points, it will be Zobahan which progresses with a draw after the Iranian side defeated the Uzbek team earlier in the competition.
Lokomotiv, which lost 2-1 to Nasaf in its last domestic league game, welcomed Oleg Zteev back from suspension but is without the banned Ikromjon Alibaev.
Zobahan, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Foolad Khouzestan in the Iran Pro League and currently occupies third place in the league as it chases a spot in next season’s continental competition.
Already Eliminated
The bottom two sides in Group A will close their continental campaigns on Tuesday as Tractorsazi Trabriz hosts Al Gharafa of Qatar at Yadegar-e Emam Stadium in Tabriz.
Tractorsazi has endured a miserable campaign and has yet to pick up a win, with a 2-0 reversal against Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia on Matchday Five finally confirming its elimination.
Al Gharafa’s 3-2 home defeat to the UAE’s Al Jazira two weeks ago ended the Qatari side’s hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds because of an inferior head-to-head record against the Emiratis.
The host’s form domestically has been equally disappointing as Friday’s loss to Sepidrood Rasht in the Iran Pro League was its 10th game without a win, while Al Gharafa’s last game was a 3-0 win over Qatar SC.
Al Gharafa will be without Assim Madibo after his red card against Al Jazira as the sides aim to end the competition on a high having won just one game between them.
