The A-League side, who are making their fifth appearance in the competition, were eliminated at the group stage in 2018 after failing to win a game or score a goal at home. Their best performance to date was when they reached the Round of 16 in 2016.

Unlike the other teams in their group, they are well into their domestic season and currently sit second in the A-League after winning their last two games, against Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United.

After spending the vast majority of his career in Europe – primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium – the Iranian forward joined Sydney on loan from Cypriot side APOEL ahead of the 2019 AFC Champions League campaign.

The 31-year-old former Islamic Republic of Iran international scored his first goal for his new club as Sydney defeated Adelaide United 2-0 in the A-League on Friday and he is now set to take his place in the starting line-up for the Group H match against 2012 winners Ulsan.

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.

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.