For the first time, the Japanese trio of FC Tokyo, Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F. Marinos will take to the pitch in the Gulf nation as will Australia's Melbourne Victory and Thailand's Chiangrai United as the competition gets into full swing.

With the matches now set to come thick and fast in the days and weeks ahead, the-AFC.com has selected five things to look out for in the next round of fixtures.

The veteran Chinese international converted in the 71st minute, giving Shenhua the maximum reward for a determined defensive performance which saw them leapfrog their opponents in the Group F standings.

Choi Kang-hee’s men now have six points from three matches, while FC Tokyo remain on four, with the teams to meet again at the same venue on Friday.

Bruno Genesio’s men went into the game with a 100% record from two games, while the Australian side had won their opener in February, going on to lose their second game a week later.

Doha: Li Shenglong has been voted by the fans as the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) Toyota Player of the Week after the forward netted a brace in Shanghai SIPG's 2-1 victory over Sydney FC.

Li, whose pair of headed goals helped the Chinese Super League side come from a goal down to claim all three points, was top of Stats Perform's ratings after he received an impressive 8.5 rating, and fans agreed he was the standout player as he gained 64 percent of the votes.

The two sides have collected maximum points from two games, with the reigning J-League champions having beaten Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 and Sydney FC 4-0 back in February, while Shanghai SIPG started their continental journey last week with 2-1 wins against the same two opponents.

With Jeonbuk and Sydney FC having both picked up just one point from three games, a win on Wednesday would put the victors in pole position to secure passage to the Round of 16 ahead of the rematch at the same venue three days later.

The two sides occupy the bottom two spots in Group H, having shared the spoils in the reverse fixture back in March, earning each side their sole point in the campaign so far.

Held to a goalless draw by Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings in their opening match on Sunday, the two-time Asian champions will return to Khalifa International Stadium chasing their first win in four matches in all competitions and under pressure to get their continental campaign up and running.