Ceres progressed to the knockout rounds for the fourth year running by topping Group G after five successive wins to advance with a game to spare.

Hanoi, meanwhile, needed a Matchday Six victory over Tampines Rovers to leapfrog the Singaporean side and win Group F by the narrowest of margins.

The two sides met in the 2016 AFC Cup group stage and exchanged wins with the same results. Al Ahed won 3-2 in Beirut in Matchday Two, while Al Wehdat took revenge on Matchday Six in Amman.

Al Ahed's Ahmed Zreik and Al Wehdat's Baha Faisal both scored in each of the two fixtures, and the two players will again be at the heart of their respective sides' attacking play.

The four teams battle for a ticket to the AFC Cup final, starting with the first leg of the semi-finals, where Al Wehdat of Jordan host Lebanon's Al Ahed on Monday, while Syria's Al Jaish play Jordan's Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

The return fixtures take place the following week with the two winners facing off in the two-legged Zonal Final in September and October. The West Asia champions get a ticket to the 2019 AFC Cup final.

We look at four players - one from each of the semi-finalists - who could prove to be the difference-makers.

The two-legged semi-finals will kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday with the return legs the following week. The two victors will progress to the ASEAN Zonal Final a month later to determine who is the 2019 AFC Cup's Southeast Asia champion.

We look at four players - one from each of the semi-finalists - who could prove to be the difference-makers.

These days 2017 ASEAN Zonal champions and 2018 ASEAN Zonal runners-up Ceres Negros are considered to be one of the strongest teams in the AFC Cup.

However, back at the beginning of the 2017 AFC Cup campaign they were not counted among the contenders to be crowned inaugural ASEAN champions, with most looking to 2015 AFC Cup winners JDT, the Southern Tigers, as a likelier candidate to be crowned Southeast Asian kings.

Making their debut appearance in the tournament, Makassar won four and drew two of their Group H games to advance as table-toppers and, in doing so, netted 17 goals along the way – a tally only Hanoi FC have bettered in this year’s competition.

Netherlands-born midfielder Klok was instrumental in his side’s success, with his two goals against last year’s ASEAN Zonal champions Home United of Singapore paving the way for a crucial come-from-behind 3-2 win and ultimately qualification to the knockout rounds.

The 33-year-old Spanish striker has enjoyed another Continental campaign to remember for Filipino club Ceres improving on his Group Stage scoring tallies from the 2017 and 2018 campaigns to lead the scorers' standings with nine goals.

The-AFC.com spoke exclusively with Marañón to look ahead to the showdown with Vietnam's Hanoi FC, reflect on the tournament so far and recall past campaigns.