Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Cup final pits together 2015 runners-up FC Istiklol of Tajikistan and the defending champions, Air Force Club of Iraq in a game that sees two sides replete with international players face off.
Hosts Istiklol have won six of the past eight Tajik League titles and are the dominant force in the Central Asian country.
Ahead of the final, the-AFC.com picks out three key players who could help bring the continental trophy to Tajikistan for the first time.
Manuchehr Dzhalilov
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Nationality: Tajik
Born in Russia, Tajikistan international Manuchehr Dzhalilov joined Istiklol in 2015 and netted four goals as the Dushanbe club advanced to the AFC Cup final at the first time of asking the same year.
The forward has been in even better form in the current campaign and, with seven goals, is the top-scoring player still left in the competition, just two behind Kim Yu-song of DPR Korea's 4.25 SC.
Dzhalilov boasts the joint-highest number of shots on goal in this year’s AFC Cup and only Kim has had more shots on target, while he has also created six chances – including two assists – for his teammates.
The striker failed to register a goal in his first three games of the 2017 AFC Cup but scored five times in two matches against Kyrgyz Republic duo FC Alay and Dordoi FC, including a hat-trick against the latter, on route to topping Group D.
A stunning long-range strike was one of a brace in a 4-0 win against Ceres Negros of the Philippines in the first leg of the Inter-Zone semi-final, before Dzhalilov teed up Dmitri Barkov for Istiklol’s crucial second away at India’s JSW Bengaluru in the Inter-Zone final last month.
Lethal in the box, both on the ground and in the air, and with the ability to produce the spectacular, Dzhalilov is undoubtedly Istiklol’s biggest threat in front of goal and Air Force Club should ignore him at their peril.
Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev
Position: Midfield
Age: 27
Nationality: Tajik
No player in the 2017 AFC Cup has created more chances (34) or claimed more assists that Istiklol captain Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev, who has directly set up seven of his side’s 23 goals in the competition so far.
The 27-year-old central midfielder knows the club inside out having joined back in 2008, and has played an integral role in their unprecedented success over the past decade.
In 10 games in this year's competition he has made more than 300 successful passes, while the number of duels the midfielder has won (54) and recoveries made (59) are among the highest in the Istiklol side.
Only Dzhalilov has registered more attempts on goal, although, having yet to find the back of the net, Fatkhuloev may see that as the one area he can improve on ahead of the final.
But it’s assists where he has proven most influential, and it was the captain’s inch-perfect cross that set up Barkov for the only goal of the game in the first leg of the Inter-Zone final against Bengaluru. If Air Force Club allow him time on the ball, he has the ability to do likewise on Saturday.
Part of the team that won the club’s first piece of AFC silverware, the AFC President’s Cup in 2012, Fatkhuloev also helped Istiklol reach the AFC Cup final two years ago and will lead his side into the clash with the defending champions looking to make up for the heartbreak of 2015.
Dmitri Barkov
Position: Forward
Age: 25
Nationality: Russian
Dmitri Barkov moved to Istiklol from Narva Trans in Estonia at the beginning of 2017 and has proven an inspired signing, with the Russian forward really beginning to shine in the latter stages of the tournament.
Barkov has played in all 10 of Istiklol’s matches, yet it took him until the eighth game to score his first goal, when his volleyed effort killed any chance Ceres Negros had of mounting a comeback in the Inter-Zone semi-final.
The 25-year-old has seemingly now taken on the mantle of netting important goals as he subsequently scored the only goal of the game in the first leg of the Inter-Zone final against Bengaluru in Dushanbe.
With the Indian side chasing the game in the return fixture, Barkov tapped home to make it 2-1 and, again, effectively bring an end to Bengaluru’s hopes of reaching a second successive final.
Having set up three goals and created 19 chances so far, Barkov’s value to the team is undeniable and his tournament-leading 77 duels won is evidence of an impressive work rate.
The Russian helped his new side claim yet another Tajik league title earlier in the year and, if Istiklol can pick up the AFC Cup on Saturday, it would bring a perfect end to Barkov’s first season in Central Asia.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com