The two sides wasted no time in getting into the thick of the action, with Khalid Al Samiri shooting wide for Al Ittihad and Lucca Borges seeing his effort saved inside two minutes.

Former Al Ittihad striker Gelmin Rivas embarked on a solo run and cut inside onto his left before shooting low into the arms of goalkeeper Fawaz Al Qarni.

The two sides had met in the opening match of Group B last season at the same ground with the home side running riot in a 5-0 victory.

There were ghosts of 2018 for Al Wahda as Temorkhuja Abdukholikov fired PFC Lokomotiv in front just five minutes into the match.

Sardor Mirzayev’s in-swinging corner kick was headed across the mouth of goal by Anzur Ismailov. Abdukholikov met the loose ball with a header from point-blank but was denied by the crossbar. The Number 11 was afforded a second chance to nod the ball into an empty net from the rebound, handing the hosts an early lead.

The Emirati side had finished bottom of their group with no points last year in what was their first Continental appearance since 2008.

The hosts created the first chance of the match eight minutes in, when Khamis Esmaeel supplied a perfectly weighted through pass for Fabio de Lima who advanced into the box but fired high.

The fixture at Fooladshahr Stadium marked the return of Iraqi clubs to the AFC Champions League for the first time since 2008.

Al Zawraa nearly stunned their hosts six minutes in when Jabbar Kareem’s header met Hussein Al Jwayed’s cross from the corner. It connected perfectly, but the ball passed just wide to the relief of the home crowd.

Al Duhail were one of the stories of the 2018 season as the Doha side went on a nine-game winning run to equal Ulsan Hyundai’s record set in 2012. They exited at the last eight stage, however, after Iranian side Persepolis dealt them a first defeat in the second leg of the quarter-finals.

The 2017-18 Qatar Stars League champions currently sit second in their domestic league and go into their Continental opener on the back of a 6-0 victory over Al Ahli last week.

The pair met twice in last year’s group stage with Al Ain winning 2-1 in the UAE and the teams playing out a scoreless draw in Riyadh as the Emirati side eventually advanced and Al Hilal exited. 

Al Ain, who were eliminated by Al Hilal in the 2017 quarter-finals, lost 2-0 to Shabab Al Ahli in their latest UAE Pro League outing and are currently second in the standings.

The sides’ previous encounter in Jeddah finished 2-2 in the second leg of the last 16 but it was Al Sadd who advanced having won the first leg 2-1 in Doha.

Al Ahli, who were runners-up in 2012, are currently fifth in the Saudi Pro League and go into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with city rivals Al Ittihad on Friday in a game that saw their star striker Omar Al Soma score an outstanding overhead kick.