Know Mohun Bagan's AFC Champions League Two Rival: Ahal FK

Mohun Bagan will face Ahal FK at home on Tuesday, September 16.

Mohun Bagan are ready to kick off their 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two campaign when they face off against Turkmenistan side Ahal FK on Tuesday (16th September 2025). The Mariners will be eager to kick off their campaign on a positive note, but they are certain to face a challenging task against one of Turkmenistan’s strongest clubs.

Ahal FK have been competing at the top of the Turkmenistan football scene over the last few years and had to work hard to gain their place in the ACL Two group stages.

They boast a squad of talented and hard-working players, as well as having plenty of experience in playing in the AFC competitions in the past. Ahal FK will look to stun the Mariners with a strong performance at the Salt Lake Stadium, as we delve into everything that needs to be known about the Turkmenistan giants.

About the Team

Ahal FK has been operating as a professional football club since 1989, and they are not really that old of a club either. However, they have worked hard to climb the ranks in the Turkmenistan football scene and established their reputation as one of the giants of the Yokary Liga (Turkmenistan’s top football division).

Even though Ahal FK enjoyed no success in terms of trophies in the 1990s and the 2000s, things started to change for them in 2010. They won the Turkmenistan Cup twice in a row in 2013 and 2014, after which they only climbed onto greater success. Ahal FK have won the Turkmenistan Cup four times in their history, as well as winning the Turkmenistan Super Cup once.

They started to compete strongly for the Yokary Liga title from 2014 onwards. After finishing as the runners-up six times, Ahal FK finally won the Turkmenistan first division title in 2022 before finishing as the runners-up again in 2022.

Ahal FK have plenty of experience playing in the AFC competitions. They played in the AFC Cup five times in their history and even reached the AFC Cup West Zone Finals in 2021, when they lost to FC Nasaf. They even played in the AFC Champions League in 2022, but were eliminated in the group stages. Ahal FK have won 11 games out of 26 matches in the AFC competitions in their history.

Recent Performances

Ahal FK are in the midst of the ongoing 2025 Yokary Liga campaign, where they are trying to challenge Arkadag FK for the title. They have won 10 of their 16 matches so far in the league and have accumulated 32 points from 16 games. However, Ahal FK are still 25 points behind Arkadag, who have won all of their 19 games so far.

Ahal FK were able to defeat Regar-TadAZ in the preliminary round match of the AFC Champions League Two qualifiers to book their berth in the group stages. They have won three of their last five matches, scoring seven goals in the process. However, they were held to a goalless draw by Altyn Asyr in their most recent league game, meaning they aren’t heading into the AFC Champions League Two opener with winning momentum behind them.

The Coach

Velsahet Ovezov has been the Ahal FK head coach since July 2024 and has done a pretty solid job in helping them earn a place in the AFC Champions League Two. The 43-year-old Turkmenistan gaffer had a stint as the assistant manager for Serdar Geldiyev at FK Ahal in the past, before opting to dig into the management scene all by his own with the role at Ahal FK.

Ovezov was able to guide Ahal FK to a second-place finish in the Yokary Liga in the 2024 campaign, finishing behind Arkadag in the title race. They won 22 of their 30 league games, securing 67 points and earning a place in the AFC Champions League two playoffs in doing so.

The 43-year-old gaffer has shown a desire to line up his side in a 3-4-3 formation over the recent games this season. That involves pairing up three centre-backs, and the midfielders dropping deep to help the defenders as well.

However, the Ahal FK players have been helped by this formation as it allows the wing-backs to add more depth and the wing-forwards to often drift into central areas to box out the opposition defenders and cause them major problems. Ovezov will hope that his style can work out well in the group stages of the AFC Champions League Two and that his side is able to perform at a high level.

Players to Watch

Suleyman Mirzoyev

Suleyman Mirzoyev was only brought to Ahal FK in the 2025 summer window, but he has not taken that much time to make an impact with them. The 21-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for Ahal’s attacking force and produced a brilliant performance in their win over Regar-TadAz in the AFC Champions League Two playoffs.

Mirzoyev scored a vital goal in the game, tormenting their defenders with his movement and being an overall menace in the attacking areas.

He is also versatile enough to play in a variety of positions, which increases the unpredictability factor over the 21-year-old. Mirzoyev will look to be smart with his movement to confuse the Mohun Bagan defenders and open up gaps in their defensive line to open up chances for teammates.

He’ll aim to be clinical in finishing off whatever he gets and prolific on the counter-attacks to harass the Mohun Bagan defenders in the upcoming AFC Champions League Two clash.

Elman Tagayev

Elman Tagayev is coming off a prolific 2024-25 Yokary Liga campaign. He scored 15 goals in the Turkmenistan top division last season, being Ahal FK’s highest scorer as well. The tricky winger has scored three goals in the 2025 campaign so far, but remains a huge threat for the Turkmenistan club. He has earned 17 international caps with the Turkmenistan national team, scoring two goals in the process. Tagayev is quite a proactive and versatile forward, and even though he’s at his best in the right-wing role, the 36-year-old can play as a left-winger or even centrally.

He might not be the youngest, but Tagayev can be a handful for opponents on the pitch because of his clever movement with the ball and carrying ability. He will look to create big chances for his teammates by nailing his final third passes, but Tagayev will also look to disrupt the opposition defenders’ rhythm by getting into scorable areas and putting away chances efficiently.

What to Expect?

Ahal FK should be respectful to the quality of the Mohun Bagan team and will be cautious against their threat, but will be ready to take the fight to the Mariners.

Even though the Turkmenistan team might be ready to let the hosts dominate possession, they will look to frustrate them by maintaining a stubborn, compact defensive shape to force the hosts into making errors.

Ahal FK will look to hit Mohun Bagan on the counterattacks, using the speed and link-up play of the attacking players to cause major surprises for the defenders.

They’ll also look to create chances on set pieces and use physicality to their advantage to annoy the Mohun Bagan players and force them into making errors.

The Turkmenistan team might not be expected to play the most expansive, all-out attack style, but they will look to grind out a result by working hard and make things uncomfortable for Mohun Bagan.

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