After spending the vast majority of his career in Europe – primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium – the Iranian forward joined Sydney on loan from Cypriot side APOEL ahead of the 2019 AFC Champions League campaign.

The 31-year-old former Islamic Republic of Iran international scored his first goal for his new club as Sydney defeated Adelaide United 2-0 in the A-League on Friday and he is now set to take his place in the starting line-up for the Group H match against 2012 winners Ulsan.

Edgar Silva joined the Korea Republic side in mid-2018 after scoring four goals in Buriram United’s run to the last 16, while his fellow forward Cesinha initially moved on loan in 2016 and has been at the club ever since.

In December last year, the pair scored home and away against Ulsan Hyundai as Daegu’s 5-1 aggregate victory saw them lift the Korean FA Cup. It was the club's first major honour in their 17-year history and meant they qualified for the AFC Champions League for the first time.

A host of big names will make their AFC Champions League bows, while no fewer than eight former winners will be on show. Ahead of the first round of fixtures, the-AFC.com picks out five things to look out for.

Losing a star player is never easy on a side, but it's not unreasonable to say that with Wu Lei's transfer from Shanghai SIPG to Spain's RCD Espanyol the CSL side have lost a player who is very much part of the heart and soul of the side, having made his debut for the club at just 14 years old.

As the all-time leading goalscorer and appearance-maker for the club, the 27-year-old forward's exit is, undeniably, a blow for the team, but Shanghai SIPG goalkeeper Yan Junling is insistent that the side need to - and are able to - maintain the kind of form that saw them crowned China PR's league champions last year.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal reached the final in 2014 and 2017, losing to Western Sydney Wanderers and Urawa Red Diamonds respectively, as the AFC Champions League title continues to elude the Saudi giants despite their participation in each edition since 2009.

This year, the Riyadh-based side kick off their campaign against Al Ain, the same opponents they started against last year, although this time their group stage opener takes place at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

After exiting in the qualifying rounds in each of the past four years, Johor have finally realised their ambition of joining the Continent’s elite in Asia’s premier club competition, with the 2018 Malaysia Super League champions gaining automatic entry into the 2019 group stage.

And they could have been given no tougher introduction than at the home of the defending champions Kashima, who eased past Australia’s Newcastle Jets 4-1 in the play-off round to qualify for the group stage.

The vastly experienced 37-year-old defender captained Ulsan Hyundai to the AFC Champions League title in 2012, scoring the first goal in a 3-0 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in the final, as they completed a stunning run of nine victories in a row to be crowned kings of Asia.

Kwak, who joined the Changwon side prior to the 2019 campaign, then finished as a runner-up with Al Hilal in 2014, and, more recently, was part of the FC Seoul team that eliminated Tuesday’s opponents at the quarter-final stage in 2016.