Al Ain remain the only side from the United Arab Emirates to have been crowned champions of Asia following their success in 2003, and they remain on course to repeat the feat this year.

Their latest continental campaign, however, did not get off to the best start following consecutive defeats in Group D to El Jaish but they recovered to win three of their next four matches, booking a spot in the knockout round with a 2-0 triumph over Nasaf.

They then came up against Iraq’s Zobahan and, although their opponents looked to have claimed the advantage with a 1-1 first-leg draw at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain once again showed their resilience to claim a 2-0 win in Iran and advance to the quarter-finals.

AL NASR (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)

Having only made their AFC Champions League debut in 2012, Al Nasr are making their third appearance in the tournament in the past five seasons but this year marks the first time they have made it out of the Group Stage.

Despite the Emirati outfit only claiming nine points from their six games in Group A, it was ultimately enough to see them finish in second place above Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad thanks to their head-to-head record.

The Round of 16 then saw them claim a commanding 4-1 lead over Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran, although a 3-1 defeat in the return encounter did mean they had to endure a few nervous moments before securing their place in the last eight.

EL JAISH (QATAR)

Qatar’s El Jaish had to secure a place in Asia’s premier club competition the hard way by having to beat Naft Tehran 2-0 in the Play-off Stage.

After victories in their first three outings, they went without a win in the remainder of the Group Stage but had still done enough to advance as winners of Group D.

Next up for them was a last-16 clash with fellow Qatari side Lekhwiya and they eventually progressed with a 6-4 aggregate triumph, winning the initial encounter 4-0 before suffering a 4-2 defeat in the second leg.

FC SEOUL (KOREA REPUBLIC)

FC Seoul will be hoping third time is the charm after previously reaching the Champions League final in 2002 and 2013, only to lose to Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Guangzhou Evergrande respectively.

Having entered the tournament by virtue of being Korean FA Cup winners, the South Koreans did well to finish top of Group F with 13 points from six matches, scoring 17 goals in the process while conceding just five.

They did face a much tougher test in the Round of 16 against Urawa Red Diamonds and after two legs and extra-time could not separate them in a 3-3 draw, it took a 7-6 triumph in the penalty shootout for Seoul to see off their Japanese opponents.

JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOREA REPUBLIC)

Korea Republic’s other representatives in the last eight, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors – the reigning K League Classic champions – were made to work before finishing top of Group E, requiring a final-day 2-2 draw against Jiangsu FC to secure qualification.

Veteran striker Lee Dong-gook turned back the years with a series of excellent displays to lead the way, but once in the knockout round, it was Brazilian marksman Leonardo who came to the fore.

The 29-year-old, grabbed a crucial equaliser to first a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Melbourne Victory, before netting a brace to send Jeonbuk on their way to a 2-1 triumph in the second leg, as well as a place in the final eight.

LOKOMOTIV (UZBEKISTAN)

Having only made their Champions League Group Stage debut last season, Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv produced a number of fine displays to finish top of Group A this year.

They started with a couple of 1-1 draws against Al Ittihad, but then put themselves firmly in the driving seat with back-to-back victories over Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan, before rounding things off by claiming two points from their meetings with fellow quarter-finalists Al Nasr.

That in itself was already quite an achievement, however, the Tashkent-based side duly went one better by claiming a 2-1 aggregate win over two-time Asian champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia to reach the quarters.

SHANDONG LUNENG (CHINA PR)

Defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande’s Group Stage elimination may have come as somewhat of a shock to many observers, but China will still be well represented in the quarter-finals, beginning with Shandong Luneng.

Despite playing in the Champions League in six of the past nine editions, Shandong had never made it out of the Group Stage before bucking the trend this year by finishing second in Group F, ahead of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Buriram United.

Their Round of 16 tie with Australia’s Sydney FC then produced a real tussle, but despite a 3-3 aggregate draw, away goals from Walter Montillo and Hao Junmin – the latter coming in the 90th minute of the second leg – proved to be crucial.

SHANGHAI SIPG (CHINA PR)

The second Chinese representative in the last eight comes in the form of Shanghai SIPG, coached by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and who are looking to challenge Evergrande’s supremacy in the Chinese Super League.

Making their maiden appearance in the Champions League, the Red Eagles successfully saw off Muangthong United in the Play-offs to enter Group G, where they did extremely well to finish in first place, three points ahead of both Melbourne Victory and Suwon.

It did look as though their run would be coming to an end after they were beaten 2-1 by FC Tokyo in the first leg of their last-16 clash, but Wu Lei struck a dramatic injury-time winner in the return encounter to hand them a 1-0 triumph in Shanghai, which was enough to send them through to the quarters on away goals.

Photos: Lagardère Sports