Game week two of the Persian Gulf Pro League season and the teams have had a few days to digest the first match. Here's the Foolad - Esteghlal preview:
There’s little time for restitution or working hard at the training pitch these days, with both teams having played their last game less than four days ago.
These teams have little in common geographically as Esteghlal have to travel 800 kilometers to reach their opponents. The trip home will be especially long if the match ends in defeat.
Foolad form and stats
Foolad drew their last game, 2-2 away at Zob Ahan (placed 6th). Ahead of that match, Foolad won a home game hosting Tractor Sazi (1-0).
The manager J. Nekounam will start preparations for the next game as soon this is finished, as the hosts are going to Gol Gohar in only three days.
Last season, Foolad's league statistics were 14 wins, 9 draws and 7 losses, resulting in a 3rd position in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Over these 30 matches they scored 28 goals and conceded 19. Playing at home last season Foolad managed 10-3-2 (win-draw-lost) with 15 goals and 5 conceded.
Esteghlal form and stats
Esteghlal go into this game after a win, the home game against Mes Rafsanjan that ended 2-0. Prior to that match, the Esteghlal manager M. Namjou Motlagh faced defeat when travelling to Pakhtakor and losing 1-2.
A new game in only three days for Esteghlal, the Persian Gulf Pro League home match versus Machine Sazi. Busy days.
Let's have a look at how Esteghlal performed last season in the Persian Gulf Pro League: They landed a 2nd position in the league table after playing out 14 victories, 11 draws and 5 defeats. In total they scored 55 and conceded 31 goals in these matches. The numbers for away games only are: Won 6 - drew 6 and lost 3 with 30/19 goals scored/conceded.
Head 2 Head
Head-2-head stats last ten meetings: one - four - five (Foolad wins - draws - Esteghlal wins). As for goals, four matches ended with three or more goals (over 2,5), six had two or less.Top Goalscorers
  M. Coulibaly 1 goals |  V. Ghafouri 1 goals | A. Motahari 1 goals |
Foolad missing players
Esteghlal missing players
| Foolad | Esteghlal | ||||||
| Total | Home | vs | Statistics | Stat | vs | Away | Total |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Played | P | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Won | W | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Drew | D | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Lost | L | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Scored | S | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Conceded | C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | BTTS | BTTS | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | Clean Sheets | C S | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | Failed to Score | F T | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Red cards | R C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Total Shots | T S | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Shots on Target | S O | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 0% | 0% | 40% |
| Foolad | Last season | Esteghlal | |||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 30 | 15 | Played | P | 15 | 30 | ||
| 14 | 10 | Won | W | 6 | 14 | ||
| 9 | 3 | Drew | D | 6 | 11 | ||
| 7 | 2 | Lost | L | 3 | 5 | ||
| 28 | 15 | Scored | S | 30 | 55 | ||
| 19 | 5 | Conceded | C | 19 | 31 | ||
| 77% | 80% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 100% | 97% | ||
| 37% | 33% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 87% | 83% | ||
| 27% | 20% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 67% | 57% | ||
| 10% | 0% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 53% | 33% | ||
| 7% | 0% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 13% | 13% | ||
| 30% | 20% | BTTS | BTTS | 67% | 67% | ||
| 53% | 67% | Clean Sheets | C S | 20% | 23% | ||
| 40% | 33% | Failed to Score | F T | 13% | 13% | ||
| 0 | 0 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 2.1 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 1.3 | 1.6 | ||
| 3 | 0 | Red cards | R C | 2 | 4 | ||
| 203 | 100 | Total Shots | T S | 169 | 315 | ||
| 75 | 36 | Shots on Target | S O | 81 | 139 | ||
| 28% | 31% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 37% | 38% | ||
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Padideh Khorasan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Gol Gohar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Esteghlal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Foolad | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Zob Ahan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Naft Masjed Soleyman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Persepolis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Saipa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Tractor Sazi | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Sepahan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 14 | Mes Rafsanjan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 15 | Aluminium Arak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| 16 | Machine Sazi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| Last season | Total | Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Persepolis | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 46 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 8 | 29 | 67 |
| 2 | Esteghlal | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 55 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 19 | 24 | 53 |
| 3 | Foolad | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 51 |
| 4 | Tractor Sazi | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 50 |
| 5 | Sepahan | 30 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 39 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 49 |
| 6 | Padideh Khorasan | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 27 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 46 |
| 7 | Sanat Naft | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 29 | 33 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 16 | -4 | 41 |
| 8 | Naft Masjed Soleyman | 30 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 24 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 38 |
| 9 | Nassaji Mazandaran | 30 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 30 | 32 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 15 | -2 | 38 |
| 10 | Gol Gohar | 30 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 27 | 34 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 21 | -7 | 33 |
| 11 | Machine Sazi | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 40 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 24 | -12 | 31 |
| 12 | Zob Ahan | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 31 | 39 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 19 | -8 | 30 |
| 13 | Paykan | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 38 | 44 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 21 | -6 | 29 |
| 14 | Saipa | 30 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 21 | -11 | 29 |
| 15 | Pars Jam Bushehr | 30 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 27 |
| 16 | Shahin Bushehr | 30 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 57 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 30 | -31 | 22 |