Eleven months and five days since Bahrain’s Riffa SC beat Chennai City of India 1-0 in the first preliminary round, it is down to two iconic sides and one clash that will determine the winners of the 18th edition of the AFC Champions League.

Both Persepolis and Ulsan Hyundai are appearing in their second final, with the Koreans having defeated Al Ahli Saudi FC to win the 2012 title and Persepolis having lost the 2018 final to Japan’s Kashima Antlers.

Both sides have produced remarkable runs since the Continental competition resumed in Qatar with Ulsan winning all eight of their games to progress to their first final since winning the competition in 2012, and Persepolis coming out on top in seven of their eight matches to return to the showpiece event for the second time in three years.

Now, as the countdown continues to Asia's biggest club fixture of the year, the-AFC.com takes a statistical look at the key players from each side, starting with those in the heart of defence.

Ahead of Saturday’s final, the-AFC.com takes a statistical look at key players for Ulsan and Persepolis in defence, midfield and attack.

Having compared defenders Dave Bulthuis and Persepolis’ Hossein Kanaani, our attention turns to two men creating magic from midfield.

Ahead of Saturday’s final, the-AFC.com is shining the spotlight at some of the key players in defence, midfield and attack.

Having compared defenders and midfielders from the two sides, we conclude with the two men most likely to get on the scoresheet.

Having lost the 2017 AFC Champions League semi-final 6-2 on aggregate to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC, Persepolis went one better the following year by making the final - only to come up short against Kashima Antlers, who followed up a 2-0 win in Japan with a stalemate at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Under normal conditions, the Korean club and West zone semi-final winners Persepolis FC would be gearing up for 90 minutes each in front of their own fans, but apart from a few lucky fans in Doha, the 2020 decider will be run and won in one night, and experienced largely through screens everywhere from Ulsan to Tehran.

In 17 previous editions of the AFC Champions League final, fans of Asian football have seen world class players, fabulous goals, stunning comebacks and record-breaking achievements in a competition that has taken Asian football to the next level.

As the-AFC-com continues to look back on the finale of the Continent's biggest club competition, we take a trip down memory lane to bring you five of the most memorable finals since the tournament launched in 2002-03.

Don't forget to tell us which was your favourite AFC champions League final in the poll at the foot of the article.