Kim scored the third goal against the Chinese Super League team on Matchday Two as tournament debutants Daegu claimed a 3-1 victory and underlined their status as genuine qualification contenders with the scalp of the two-time champions.

Just over two months on and Daegu travel to Tianhe Stadium two points ahead of their hosts in the battle for the group’s runners-up spot and knowing if they avoid defeat, a place in the last 16 will be theirs.

Currently in third place in the standings, two-time champions Guangzhou sit two points behind their K League opponents having suffered a 1-0 defeat to group winners Sanfrecce Hiroshima two weeks ago and they can now only progress with a win.

The hosts, who lost 3-1 in the reverse fixture in Korea Republic on Matchday Two, go into the game on the back of a 3-2 victory over Wuhan Zall on Friday that kept them in third place in the Chinese Super League.

Three years ago, Guangzhou Evergrande were eliminated from the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League in stunning circumstance as the defending champions crashed out.

Kashima Antlers, winners of the 2018 title, are determined to avoid a similar fate.

They will need to ensure they get at least a point at home to Group E winners Shandong to avoid being overtaken by Gyeongnam FC or Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), who play in the other Wednesday tie.

Since they first appeared in the AFC Champions League in their maiden tournament in 2016, Shanghai SIPG have reached at least the Round of 16 in all three Continental campaigns.

However, failure to win against unbeaten Group H winners Ulsan, coupled with a Kawasaki Frontale win away at Sydney FC, would see that proud record end. And so, China PR international Wang Shenchao is well aware of the significance of the tie at Shanghai Stadium.

The hosts have lost four of their five games and had their elimination confirmed after a home draw with Guangzhou Evergrande on Matchday Four, before they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Korea Republic’s Daegu FC two weeks ago in what has been a miserable campaign.

Since their last game on the Continent, Melbourne have been eliminated at the semi-finals of the A-League Finals series following a 6-1 humbling by Sydney FC.

A Group Stage campaign of two halves sees AFC Champions League holders Kashima Antlers in a potential precarious situation when they host Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng at Kashima Soccer Stadium on Matchday Six.

The J.League club tallied two wins and a draw from the opening three matches in Group E, but back-to-back defeats to Gyeongnam FC and Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) now sees their Round of 16 destiny awaiting the final round of games.

A point or more in Ibaraki will, however, prove enough to join Shandong in the last 16, but defeat to their unbeaten guests would allow the victors of the tie between Gyeongnam and JDT to leapfrog them into second place.

For Gyeongnam FC of Korea Republic and Malaysia's JDT it can be said that their maiden AFC Champions League campaigns have already been a successful experience.

The two sides have registered first ever wins in the Continental competition - both of which were over the defending champions - and have convincingly shown they have been able to make the step up to compete with Asia's elite.

On Matchday Six, they have the potential to make a good campaign a great one with a chance to grab a place in the knockout stage.