Only two editions of the AFC Champions League have ever witnessed the absence of both powerhouses; 2009 and 2012. Domestically Al Ain and Al Sadd are the most successful club sides in the UAE and Qatar respectively.

A slow start to the 2020 edition meant that Al Ain, most recently in the final in 2016, find themselves bottom of Group D without a single point going into Matchday Three, but with additions such as Angolan winger Wilson Eduardo, Al Ain are hoping to rekindle the spirit of that run to the final.

The two sides met in the 2002-03 edition of the AFC Champions League, a match that ended in a 2-0 win for the UAE Pro League side courtesy of Kandia Traore and Boubacer Sanogo’s strikes. The Emiratis went on to lift the trophy that year.

Sepahan’s fortunes have drastically shifted from Matchday One to Matchday Two, having started the campaign off with a 4-0 defeat of former champions Al Ain FC before succumbing to a 3-0 loss at the hands of Al Sadd SC.

In turn, Al Nassr kicked their 2020 AFC Champions League journey off with a 2-2 draw against Al Sadd, before bagging all three points against Al Ain on Matchday Two with a 2-1 win.

The February rounds of games saw Al Sadd lead the group with four points, with away goals separating them from runners-up Al Nassr. Sepahan lurk close behind with three points while Al Ain are yet to get off the mark.

Both sides were positive from the start as the Uzbek champions and the Saudi Pro League champions set out to gain further ground on Shabab Al Ahli Dubai and Shahr Khodro FC, the former having narrowly beaten the latter in the early Group B game on Monday.

The Iran Pro League champions had a slow start to their continental charge, losing to Al Duhail SC 2-0 then settling for a 2-2 draw against Sharjah back in February, putting them at risk of early elimination for the second year running.

With back-to-back encounters against Al Taawoun to manoeuvre over the next four days, Persepolis’ hopes of progressing to the next round might be fully dependent on collecting points against the Saudi King’s Cup champions.

Two points separate the two sides with Al Duhail in second place on three points, and Sharjah bottom of the group on one point, and the two sides are eager to get their continental restart underway with a win.