Sepahan and Al-Hilal play their last round of 16 AFC Champions League match on Thursday at Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium in Iran.
The Saudis went undefeated in the first round and won their group after defeating Nassaji Mazandaran 2-1. The Iranians, on the other hand, narrowly defeated Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya for second place on head-to-head points after losing 2-1 to Al Ittihad in their last group match.
With one of the finest second-place finishes in the first round, Sepahan advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2011–12, by the narrowest of margins.
The Iranians haven't participated in a significant match since a 1-0 loss against Shams Azar on New Year's Day because of many postponed games.Since overcoming Havadar 5-0 on December 19 during their domestic season, Jose Morais's team has not triumphed in a competitive match.
Near the end of that period, Sepahan turned things around, winning three of their last four games, including their last two at home by a combined score of 10-0, after losing their first two Champions League group matches.
They scored the opening goal and only managed one point after giving up the first goal, although they had a perfect record in the group stage.
They last triumphed against a Saudi Arabian team in this tournament during the group stage in 2014, coming back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to upset Al-Hilal 3-2.Al-Hilal's thrilling last-minute equalizer in their first Champions League group encounter served as a helpful wake-up call. They went on to win the following five games by a combined score of 15-1, cruising past the first round.
The Saudis' lone loss in this competition's initial round was a 1-1 draw on matchday one, which allowed them to go into the round of sixteen for the third time in their last four Champions League seasons.
Jorge Jesus's team finished the tournament's group stage undefeated, together with Al-Nassr and Kawasaki Frontale. They also finished with the highest goal differential in the first round (+16).Al-Za'eem is leading the Saudi Pro League with seven points over Al-Nassr and is undefeated. They qualified for the King Cup semifinals in December of last year, so this is looking to be a great season for them.
Al-Hilal won all but one of their domestic road games this season (1-1 tie with Damac), conceding just one goal while on the road in the Champions League group stage.Al-Hilal has lost its last two Champions League away games to Sepahan; however, this Thursday's matchup will be their first in a tournament knockout.
