LivescorePersepolis Struggling in January
With the season nearly halfway over, there could be a shakeup in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Four-time defending champion Persepolis has struggled since the new year, and while it does have two games in hand, it is currently seven points behind co-leaders Esteghlal and Sepahan.
The Red Army won two of their first four games this season before four straight draws, two to end December and two to start January.
The draws in January were against two teams atop the table, with a 0-0 draw against Sepahan and a 2-2 contest against Esteghlal. The Jan. 25 road loss was surprising, a 2-1 setback to newly-promoted Aluminium Arak. Luckily most sports bettors didn’t lose their shirt on this game when it came to placing their sports betting picks.
It may be tough for the Red Army to bounce back quickly as well. They are suffering financial difficulties with past-due bills to former coaches and players and are expected to be handed a midseason transfer ban if they don't make good on those bills soon.
The last time Persepolis didn't win the title was in 2015-16, when Esteghlal Khuzestan, since relegated, claimed the title. Sepahan were champions in 2014-15 and have won five times since 2002, while Esteghlal won in 2012-13, their third championship.
Overall, there have been seven different league winners since 2001-02, with Persepolis, Sepahan and Esteghlal combining for 14 of the last 19 titles.
Big Weekend for Leaders
Persepolis faces last-place Machine Sazi to end January in a chance to close the gap on the leaders. That makes this a big weekend for Esteghlal and Sepahan to get positive results.
Both are on 22 points from 12 games, with Esteghlal up three on goal differential as they face sixth-place Naft Masjed Soleyman.
Sepahan, meanwhile, face 13th place Shahr Khodro, who have allowed the second-most goals in the league this season.
Third-place Sanat Naft, just one point behind the leaders, face 12th-place Mes Rafsanjan, while fourth-place Tractor (19 points) face Aluminium Arak for the first time in a league game.
Sepahan Scoring Machine
In their first 12 games of the season, Sepahan have scored 19 goals and allowed 14. That plus-5 goal differential has them just behind Esteghlal, who have allowed just eight goals.
Sepahan lead the league in goals scored and are fourth in goals allowed. The 33 goals total in their first 12 games are the most, by six, of any team in the league.
The Yellow Storm are led in scoring by striker Sajjad Shahbazzadeh, who has a league-best 10 goals. The 30-year-old scored just three goals in 23 league games last year and six goals in 29 league games in 2018-19.
His 10 goals are already the second-most he's ever scored in league games in a single season behind the 12 he netted for Esteghlal in 2014-15 over 30 games.
His teammate Soroush Rafiei is tied for the top of the league in assists with three. He is joined by four other players with three helpers so far in 2020-21.
Shahbazzadeh has one more goal on the season than Gol Gohar's Godwin Mensha. The Nigerian Mensha has had little help as Gol Gohar are in 10th place with just 15 total goals from 11 games.
Mensha netted the first hat-trick in league play this season when he scored all three goals in a 3-1 home win over Shahr Khodro.
He was also on hand for the league's other hat trick when Machine Sazi's Peyman Babaei scored all three of his team's goals in a 3-3 draw against Sepahan 11 days later.
Last season, the Golden Boot was claimed by Cheick Diabate, who scored 15 goals for Esteghlal. So far this season, the Malian has two goals in five league games for the co-leaders.
Iranian Super Cup
There isn't a specific date set for the Iranian Super Cup, which is expected to be played in February. The game was originally scheduled for July 2020 but was postponed because of COVID-19.
This year's contest will feature 2019-20 Persian Gulf Pro League champions Persepolis against 2019-20 Hazfi Cup champions Tractor.
Persepolis have been awarded three straight Super Cups, though the game hasn't actually been played since they beat Naft Tehran 3-0 on July 21, 2017.
The 2018 title went to Persepolis after Hazfi Cup holders Esteghlal refused to play in the Super Cup. In 2019, Persepolis won both the league title and the Hazfi Cup, so they were awarded the title without a game.
The 2020 Hazfi Cup was the first major trophy for Tractor since they won the same competition in 2014-15. They currently sit in fourth place in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the same spot where they finished the 2019-20 season.
The two teams have not met yet this season but are scheduled to play in the regular season on Feb. 4 at Tractor's Yadegar-e Emam Stadium. Last season, Tractor won at home 1-0 in the regular season, while Persepolis won the return game 2-0.