Shanghai finally ended Guangzhou Evergrande’s dominance in China after winning the league in 2018 and return to the competition for the fourth successive year. Their best performance was when they reached the semi-finals in 2017.

The hosts, who remain unbeaten at home in the AFC Champions League, began the defence of their domestic title with a 4-0 win over city rivals Shanghai Shenhua on Friday and also defeated Beijing FC to win the Super Cup a week earlier.

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.

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 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 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.

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.