Esteghlal and Al Ain had most recently clashed in the 2017 edition in the round of 16. Back then, Kaveh Rezaei gave the Iranian side a 1-0 win in Tehran, but an Omar Abdulrahman masterclass inspired the Emiratis to a 6-1 thumping in the return leg in Al Ain.

Since then, Rezaei and Abdulrahman have both left for pastures new. Esteghlal reached the quarter-finals in 2018, while Al Ain exited at the round of 16 last year.

With AFC Champions League firsts, a returning star and an intriguing match-up all part of this week’s action, the-AFC.com has picked out five things to look out for on Matchday Two.

A repeat of last year's semi-final, a first-ever AFC Champions League match in Iraq and some heavyweight clashes are all on the cards this week as we enter matchday two of the competition's group stage.

The Malaysian champions gave a good account of themselves in their maiden match in the tournament, narrowly going down 2-1 to holders Kashima Antlers in a game that saw recent signing Diogo score his first AFC Champions League goal for the club.

Johor warmed up for the game with a 3-0 victory over PKNP in the Malaysian Super League on Saturday as they remained two points clear at the top of the standings.

Graziano Pelle scored a brace as Shandong played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Korea Republic’s Gyeongnam FC on Matchday One and they return home for what will be their first ever match against Kashima on the Continent.

The hosts made it successive 2-2 draws at the weekend after a stalemate against Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League. When Shandong last faced Japanese opposition, meanwhile, they won home and away against Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 2016 group stage.

Sanfrecce’s first game in the competition since 2016 resulted in a disappointing 2-0 defeat against two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande last week, but they responded well by posting a 1-0 victory over Cerezo Osaka in the J.League on Saturday.

Although they have never faced Melbourne in the competition, they have hosted Australian opposition on three occasions and have recorded a victory each time, with the most recent being a 3-1 win over eventual champions Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014.

The debutants from Korea Republic fell behind at Melbourne Victory last week but goals from Cesinha, Hwang Soon-min and Edgar secured a 3-1 victory to get them off to a flying start in Continental action.

Daegu then returned home to post a 2-0 win over Jeju United in K League 1 at the weekend as they remained unbeaten in 2019 to warm up for the visit of Guangzhou in perfect fashion.