Persepolis’ First Step in the 24th League In their first step in the 24th league, Persepolis was held to a draw against Zob Ahan Esfahan in Arak last week. Unlike Esteghlal, Sepahan, and Tractor, the capital’s red-clad team couldn’t start the new season with a victory. After the draw with Zob Ahan, the red-clad team is now preparing for the most important match of the second week, where Juan Carlos Garrido’s students will face Tractor in Tabriz tonight (Thursday) at 19:45. The Persepolis team traveled to Tabriz yesterday without Omid Alishah, who is absent due to injury. Juan Carlos Garrido has the rest of his players available. However, Milad Mohammadi has not yet received his ITC, so he is also not included in the squad for the match against Tractor. The Spanish coach used a 4-4-2 formation last week, which did not achieve the desired result against Zob Ahan. Therefore, changes in the formation and lineup for the match against Tractor are not out of the question. Gholizadeh, tasked with marking Tractor’s star striker Alexis Gendouz, who was surprised last week and conceded a goal in the first minute of his debut for Persepolis, now faces a crucial match against Tractor. He hopes to prove his worth in the goal against Alireza Beiranvand. Unlike the previous game, Farshad Faraji will likely be benched, and Giorgi Gholizadeh will enter the main lineup to mark Tomislav Štrkali. Garrido intends to test the pairing of Gholizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan in the heart of the defense, after previously fielding Farshad Faraji and Kanaanizadegan. These two players played a significant part of last season in the heart of the red-clad defense. Ayoub Almaloud is the most serious candidate for the right-back position, and with Milad Mohammadi’s ITC still pending, Vahid Amiri will again play as the left-back. Garrido and the transformation of the red-clad lineup? The Spanish coach used a 4-2-2 formation in the previous game, but it is said that for tonight’s match, Juan Carlos Garrido is considering changing the formation to a 4-3-3, given Tractor’s style of play and the presence of strong midfielders like Igor Postonski and Ricardo Alves. This change aims to help Persepolis win the midfield battle. Masoud Rigi and Soroush Rafiei were the midfield duo in the previous match, and it is said that both players will be retained in the starting lineup for tonight’s game. The coach is looking to add a third midfielder. According to the latest news, Garrido is considering giving Sina Asadbeigi a chance, which would be an unexpected inclusion. From Orunov starting to Ali Alipour possibly benched! Juan Carlos Garrido has made two important decisions for tonight’s match: benching both Farshad Ahmadzadeh and Ali Alipour. In this scenario, Saeed Sadeghi, who scored Persepolis’ first goal of the new season, will play as the right winger, and Uzbek star Oston Orunov, who was benched in the first game, will likely play as the left winger, replacing Farshad Ahmadzadeh. Issa Alekasir is also expected to be preferred over Ali Alipour and is the main candidate for the forward position. This lineup change would result in both a formation and personnel change compared to the previous match against Zob Ahan Esfahan. It remains to be seen how the capital’s red-clad team will perform against Tractor tonight and whether they can secure their first win of the 24th league. Probable lineup of Persepolis Tehran against Tractor Tabriz: Alexis Gendouz, Giorgi Gholizadeh, Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Ayoub Almaloud, Vahid Amiri, Sina Asadbeigi, Masoud Rigi, Soroush Rafiei, Saeed Sadeghi, Oston Orunov, and Issa Alekasir. Post navigation Tractor’s Defensive Puzzle Completed; Aref Gholami join Tractor
