The game will be the third time two Emirati sides have faced in the AFC Champions League, and the first involving either of the two sides. The two previous such occasions saw Al Ain involved, as they faced Al Jazira in the 2014 Round of 16 and Al Ahli at the same stage a year later.

Runners-up in two of the last three editions of the competition, the Iran Pro League champions have travelled to the Tajik capital to face an Istiklol side who emerged as the fairy-tale story of this year’s ACL group stage, pulling off a series of shock wins in their tournament debut in April.

With those heroics in mind, and an excited Dushanbe public ready to welcome ACL knockout stage football for the first time, Golmohammadi said he expects Persepolis to be seriously challenged at Central Republican Stadium.

The game sees the two sides face off for the first time in their history with Japan’s Nagoya participating in the AFC Champions League for the fourth time and Korea Republic’s Daegu making just their second appearance.

After a nine-year hiatus on the continent, J1 League side Nagoya are looking to go beyond the last 16 for just the second time, while K League 1 club Daegu are hoping to emulate a number of illustrious Korean teams by going deep into the tournament.

With Riyadh-based Al Hilal desperate to erase the memory of the last edition’s COVID-19 enforced group stage exit, and Esteghlal hoping to emulate their 2013 AFC Champions League semi-final appearance, both clubs have arrived in Dubai with noticeably different personnel than during April’s group stage.

With a few weeks and a transfer window sitting between the group stage and the round of 16, a number of players have come in to supplement the already star-studded sides vying for a place in the quarter-final stage.

As the countdown to the knockout stage reaches its final days, the-AFC.com takes you through who has arrived, who has departed and what it all means ahead of some of the biggest matches on the Asian football calendar.

As the countdown to the knockout stage reaches its final days, the-AFC.com takes through who has arrived, who has departed and what it all means ahead of some of the biggest matches on the Asian football calendar