Neftchi host Al-Ittihad FC in the AFC Champions League Elite. Neftchi have been winning regularly across their recent games, while Al-Ittihad's form has been a bit more mixed.
This is still early days in the group phase, with each side having just one match under their belt so far. That leaves plenty of room for things to change before these two actually meet.
Analysis updated .
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Recent form: Neftchi hold the edge
Neftchi have won 13 of their last 20 matches across all competitions, losing just four times, and they've scored freely with 37 goals in that run.
Neftchi: 20 completed matches; Al-Ittihad FC: 20 completed matches.
Neftchi
- Win
- 65% 13 / 20
- Draw
- 15% 3 / 20
- Loss
- 20% 4 / 20
- Scored
- 37
- Conceded
- 20
- Difference
- +17
Al-Ittihad FC
- Win
- 55% 11 / 20
- Draw
- 25% 5 / 20
- Loss
- 20% 4 / 20
- Scored
- 38
- Conceded
- 30
- Difference
- +8
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League | Lokomotiv | Neftchi | 20.09.2026 | 0-1 |
| AFC Champions League Elite | Neftchi | Al Quwa Al Jawiya | 14.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Super League | Neftchi | Surkhon | 09.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Super League | Nasaf | Neftchi | 04.09.2026 | 6-2 |
| Cup | Neftchi | Pakhtakor | 29.08.2026 | 1-0 |
| Super League | Neftchi | Sogdiana | 23.08.2026 | 3-0 |
| Super League | Buxoro | Neftchi | 18.08.2026 | 4-1 |
| Super League | Andijan | Neftchi | 13.08.2026 | 0-3 |
| Super League | Neftchi | Qizilqum | 08.08.2026 | 5-0 |
| Super League | Dinamo Samarqand | Neftchi | 03.08.2026 | 0-0 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Champions League Elite | Al Shamal | Al-Ittihad FC | 14.09.2026 | 1-1 |
| Pro League | Al-Faisaly FC | Al-Ittihad FC | 11.09.2026 | 1-3 |
| Pro League | Al-Ittihad FC | Al-Fayha | 08.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Pro League | Al-Ittihad FC | Al-Nassr | 05.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Pro League | Al-Fateh | Al-Ittihad FC | 29.08.2026 | 0-0 |
| Pro League | Al-Ittihad FC | Al-Hazm | 24.08.2026 | 3-2 |
| Pro League | Al-Qadisiyah FC | Al-Ittihad FC | 21.08.2026 | 0-1 |
| Pro League | Al-Ittihad FC | Al Kholood | 15.08.2026 | 1-1 |
| AFC Champions League Elite | Al-Jazira | Al-Ittihad FC | 11.08.2026 | 1-4 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Malaga | Al-Ittihad FC | 30.07.2026 | 2-2 |
Al-Ittihad's equivalent sample reads 11 wins, five draws and four defeats, with 38 goals for but 30 against. That includes a heavy 1-4 loss away at Al-Jazira and a narrow defeat at Al-Faisaly, so there's a bit more unevenness in their results.
None of this is venue-specific, but Neftchi's overall trend looks the tidier of the two right now.
Comparative Team Statistics: Neftchi vs Al-Ittihad FC
Early group standings
This fixture sits in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage, and the table reflects just one round played by each side so far. Neftchi are sixth after a win, Al-Ittihad seventh after a draw.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | |||||||
| 1 | Al Ain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/0 | 3 |
| 2 | Esteghlal FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/0 | 3 |
| 3 | Al-Qadisiyah FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 4 | Al-Hilal Saudi FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 5 | Shabab Al Ahli Dubai | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | 3 |
| 6 | Neftchi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | 3 |
| 7 | Al-Ittihad FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 |
| 8 | Al Shamal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 |
| 9 | Pakhtakor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 |
| 10 | Al-Ahli Jeddah | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 |
| 11 | Al-Wasl FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
| 12 | Al-Gharafa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
| 13 | Al Quwa Al Jawiya | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 0 |
| 14 | Tractor Sazi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 0 |
| 15 | Al Sadd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/3 | 0 |
| 16 | Al-Nassr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/4 | 0 |
It's a snapshot rather than a settled picture, with plenty of group games still to come for both.
Players to watch
G. Wijnaldum has been Al-Ittihad's group-stage scorer so far, netting once in his single appearance, with S. Bergwijn chipping in with an assist in that phase.
x 1 x 1
x 1On the disciplinary side, Al-Ittihad's Šimić and Neftchi's Marušić and Toshmirzaev have each picked up one yellow card in the competition.
It's only a single round of data, so it doesn't tell us much about who's in form heading into this specific game.
What sort of game to expect
Both sides have been involved in fairly high-scoring matches lately. Neftchi's recent sample carries 37 goals for and 20 against, while Al-Ittihad's shows 38 for and 30 against, which points to open, attacking games rather than tight defensive ones.
With the group table still wide open after one round each, there isn't much separating them on paper at this stage of the competition.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. Marušić | Serbia | 32 | 187 cm | 82 kg | |
| Ratinho | Brazil | 30 | 167 cm | 62 kg | |
| Yan Sasse | Brazil | 29 | 174 cm | 76 kg | |
| M. Forss | Finland | 27 | 182 | 76 | |
| I. Alibaev | Uzbekistan | 32 | 173 cm | 65 kg | |
| S. Perica | Croatia | 31 | 192 cm | 76 kg | |
| A. Turaev | Uzbekistan | 37 | 190 cm | 84 kg | |
| F. Sayfiyev | Uzbekistan | 35 | 180 | 68 | |
| B. Ciger | Serbia | 32 | 186 cm | 80 kg | |
| B. Ergashev | Uzbekistan | 31 | 189 | 89 | |
| K. Giyosov | Uzbekistan | 31 | 178 cm | n/a | |
| A. Ismailov | Uzbekistan | 28 | 177 cm | 70 kg | |
| B. Toshmirzaev | Uzbekistan | 29 | n/a | n/a | |
| M. Ubaydullayev | Uzbekistan | 32 | 185 cm | n/a | |
| K. Kouao | Côte d'Ivoire | 28 | 173 | 65 | |
| Alisher Odilov | Uzbekistan | 25 | 178 cm | 67 kg | |
| Michel | Brazil | 23 | 188 | 83 | |
| A. G'ofurov | Uzbekistan | 31 | n/a | n/a | |
| Rustambek Fomin | n/a | n/a | n/a | ||
| I. Shokirov | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Bergwijn | Netherlands | 28 | Attacker | 171 | 74 |
| M. Diaby | France | 27 | Attacker | 170 | 68 |
| G. Wijnaldum | Netherlands | 35 | Midfielder | 173 | 74 |
| Danilo Pereira | Portugal | 35 | Defender | 188 | 83 |
| H. Aouar | Algeria | 28 | Midfielder | 175 | 70 |
| P. Rajković | Serbia | 30 | Goalkeeper | 191 | 86 |
| Mukhtar Ali | Saudi Arabia | 28 | Midfielder | 187 | 70 |
| Hassan Kadesh | Saudi Arabia | 34 | Defender | 179 | 75 |
| Saleh Al Shehri | Saudi Arabia | 32 | Attacker | 183 | 77 |
| Muhannad Al Shanqiti | Saudi Arabia | 27 | Defender | 173 | 70 |
| Y. En-Nesyri | Morocco | 29 | Attacker | 188 | 73 |
| F. Abdi | USA | 27 | Defender | 180 | 73 |
| Ahmed Al Ghamdi | Saudi Arabia | 25 | Attacker | 175 | 71 |
| R. Rios | Colombia | 26 | Midfielder | 185 | 74 |
| D. Lopy | Senegal | 24 | Midfielder | 186 | 76 |
| S. Keller | Cameroon | 25 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Mohammed Al Absi | Saudi Arabia | 24 | Goalkeeper | 183 | 83 |
| Rakan Kaabi | Saudi Arabia | 23 | Midfielder | 170 | 70 |
| Osama Al Mermesh | Saudi Arabia | 23 | Goalkeeper | 182 | 67 |
| Mohammed Barnawi | Saudi Arabia | 21 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
Neftchi look the tidier side on recent numbers, and they've made the better start in the group phase, but that's still only one result each in this competition.
With no price to weigh and a month of football still to be played by both clubs, this is one to leave alone rather than force a view on.
Who will win?
