AFC Champions League Rival Watch: FC Nassaji Mazandaran

Mumbai City will take on FC Nassaji Mazandaran on 18 September.

Mumbai City FC are set to kick-start their 2023-24 AFC Champions League campaign on Monday (18 September) when they take on Iranian side FC Nassaji Mazandaran. This will be the beginning of what is expected to be a daunting group stage for the Islanders, who aim to prove their doubters wrong by performing strongly in the tournament.

In FC Nassaji Mazandaran, they are facing a side that is set to make their debut in the AFC Champions League. The Iranian side are new to a competition like this, but they boast a strong side that can definitely pose a major challenge to the Indian Super League (ISL) heavyweights. Here we look into what they can bring to the table.

About The Team

FC Nassaji Mazandaran actually didn’t even play in the top flight of Iranian league football in the 21st century until the 2018-19 season. After spending decades languishing in the second division (Azedegan), they finally achieved promotion to the Iran Pro League in 2018.

The Mazandaran Tigers actually had an inspired climb from the second division to the top flight, and their road to promotion was even captured in an acclaimed Iranian documentary - ‘Hope of Suffered City’.

Since their ascent from the second division, FC Nassaji also went on to win the Hafzi Cup (Iran FA Cup) in the 2021-22 season, which helped them qualify for the group stages of this season’s AFC Champions League, despite finishing in 12th place last season in the Iran Pro League.

Recent Performances

FC Nassaji have started the 2023-24 Iran Pro League campaign in a relatively shaky fashion, only winning one of their opening four games. They have struggled for goals, only scoring two goals in their first three matches.

However, the Mazandaran Tigers did bounce back well in their most recent league game against Sanat Naft, picking up a major 3-1 win on 29 August, before the international break kicked in. They have been given some added time to prepare for their AFC Champions League debut against Mumbai City and they will head into this game in topsy-turvy form.

The Coach

FC Nassaji Mazandaran are managed by Mehdi Rahmati, who is considered as one of the best goalkeepers to ever play for the Iranian national team. He enjoyed a prolific career as a player, being a goalkeeper who made over 75 appearances for the Iran national team and played for prominent clubs like Sepahan and Esteghlal.

The four-time Iran Pro League champion transitioned into a coaching role after retiring in 2020. The 40-year-old had short stints at Padideh and Aluminium Arak before taking charge of the FC Nassaji side earlier this summer.

Rahmati hasn’t had the best of starts in his career with the Mazandaran Tigers, but has a decent amount of experience of playing in the AFC competitions as a player. The 40-year-old seems to be setting his side up in a 3-5-2 formation, often going with a two-man frontline and adding a decent amount of protection to his backline to frustrate opponents.

Players to Watch

Mohammad Reza Azadi

FC Nassaji signed Mohammad Reza Azadi from Aluminium Arak earlier this summer after watching him excel last season, scoring seven goals in 29 league appearances. The 23-year-old is an exciting, menacing forward who can pose real problems for centre-backs. He is swift with his movement, and can cause troubles with his runs into the final third.

Reza is also a clinical goal-scorer, who tends to sneak into the key areas and get at the end of a lot of chances. He’ll now aim to prove his ability in the continental competition and enhance his chances of making his debut for the Iran national team soon.

Farshad Esmaeili

Farshad Esmaeili has had a pretty solid start to the new era under manager Rahmati, slotting in really well into his 3-5-2 system. The new shape helps him play as the most advanced midfielder, which he’s doing well by contributing to two goals in four games already.

The 29-year-old is a clever, innovative player who has the intelligence to break open defensive shapes with his impressive passing range. He also loves to make runs into the final third to score goals and is often responsible for running the show for FC Nassaji.

Alaa Abbas

The Iraqi striker is one of the few foreign players in the FC Nassaji team and has established himself as a regular. He has also contributed to two goals in three appearances so far this season, operating well in the two-man frontline with Mohammed Reza.

The 30-year-old forward is solid with his hold-up play and link-up play, while also having that spark to come up with something special in the final third. He’ll aim to add more unpredictability to his side’s attack going forward, helping set up and score goals against Mumbai City.

What to Expect

Even though the Mazandaran Tigers have had a shaky start to the new season, they still have enough quality to pose problems for Mumbai City. The Iranian side are making their debut in the AFC Champions League and will be keen on making an impact to provide joy to their supporters.

They might not be as strong as the Islanders right now, nor do they have the same quality of foreign players, but FC Nassaji have a tough, rugged squad of players who are difficult to break down defensively or outwit on the pitch. The Mazadaran Tigers should take the fight to the Islanders in the opener and could actually make it tough for Des Buckingham’s side to play their free-flowing attacking football against them.