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.

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.

Persepolis produced an excellent performance last year to reach the final for the first time before defeat to Kashima Antlers as they continued their upward momentum having progressed to the semi-finals a year earlier.

Branko Ivankovic’s side have won the Iran Pro League for the last two years and moved to the top of the standings once more last week after a 1-0 victory over Sanat Naft.

Edgar Silva joined the Korea Republic side in mid-2018 after scoring four goals in Buriram United’s run to the last 16, while his fellow forward Cesinha initially moved on loan in 2016 and has been at the club ever since.

In December last year, the pair scored home and away against Ulsan Hyundai as Daegu’s 5-1 aggregate victory saw them lift the Korean FA Cup. It was the club's first major honour in their 17-year history and meant they qualified for the AFC Champions League for the first time.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal reached the final in 2014 and 2017, losing to Western Sydney Wanderers and Urawa Red Diamonds respectively, as the AFC Champions League title continues to elude the Saudi giants despite their participation in each edition since 2009.

This year, the Riyadh-based side kick off their campaign against Al Ain, the same opponents they started against last year, although this time their group stage opener takes place at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.