Striker Sebastian Tagliabue is eyeing a deep run in the 2019 AFC Champions League for his team Al Wahda, ahead of their opening Group B clash against PFC Lokomotiv of Uzbekistan.

The Abu Dhabi-based club have failed to make the knock-out stages in each of their six previous attempts, which included five group stage exits and one elimination at the play-offs in 2015. Their last appearance in the latter stages of the competition saw them reach the semi-finals in 2007.

The Uzbek champions, who defeated AGMK FC 2-1 to win the Uzbekistan Super Cup last week, have won the league title in their homeland for the past three years and are currently the country’s dominant force.

Lokomotiv have been eliminated at the AFC Champions League group stage in the past two years, though, with qualification for the last 16 in 2016 their best performance on the Continent to date.

The 2010 runners-up Zobahan are competing in the tournament for the fourth successive year and they reached the Round of 16 in 2016 and 2018. Last year they won three of their four games at Foolad Shahr Stadium.

The Isfahan side’s domestic form has been poor of late, having not won an Iranian Pro League match since August, and they currently languish near the relegation zone. They did, however, produce a stunning comeback from two down to defeat Qatar’s Al Gharafa 3-2 in the play-off round.

The Emirati side endured a poor campaign on the continent, losing all six of their games, but return for the second successive year after finishing third in the 2017-18 UAE Pro League.

The Abu Dhabi side are having an inconsistent season domestically and they currently sit in the bottom half of the table, but they warmed up for their continental opener with a 2-1 victory over Emirates on Friday.

The Saudi side are two-time AFC Champions League winners, having lifted the trophy in 2004 and 2005, but they have been less of a force in recent years and exited at the group stage in their last appearance.

Al Ittihad are enduring a difficult season in the Saudi Pro League and currently sit in the bottom two, but go into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Jeddah rivals Al Ahli on Friday.

From the likes of household names in Keisuke Honda of Melbourne Victory and Bafetimbi Gomis at Al Hilal to prolific scorers like Al Ahli's Djaniny and Buriram United's Diogo, there will be plenty of new stars set to shine on Asian club football's grandest stage in this year's continental competition.

While the above have already spent several months at their new clubs, or previously appeared in the AFC Champions League, we look at some of the most recent signings and reveal what they could bring to their teams at the 2019 edition.

From Omar Abdulrahman to Wu Lei to Omar Khribin, some of the biggest stars in Asian football have announced themselves through the AFC Champions League over the years.

The Continent's prime club competition returns with the group stage of the 2019 edition starting next week. The-AFC.com looks at 10 players the age of 22 and under who could be the next big hit in this year's campaign.