The Qatari team, who won the competition in 2011, had the better of the first leg in Doha but lost at home for the first time in the current campaign after a late Ali Alipour penalty for their Iranian opponents ensured the game ended 1-0.

Al Sadd must now not only become the first team to stop Persepolis winning at Azadi Stadium in this year’s competition, but they must also secure victory in arguably Asia’s most daunting ground.

Three AFC Champions League appearances, three goals scored, it's fair to say that Brazilian midfielder Serginho has found life in the continent's preeminent club competition very much to his liking.

The 23-year-old netted in both legs of the quarter-final against China PR's Tianjian Quanjian, and scored a vital equaliser in the 3-2 win semi-final first leg win over Suwon of Korea Republic at the end of last month.

Islamic Republic of Iran giants Persepolis will be just a game away from a first AFC Champions League final when they step out onto the field at Azadi Stadium against Qatar's Al Sadd, but it is one who will not be in their ranks that is a cause of concern.

Team Melli international full-back Hossein Mahini suffered a season-ending ACL injury in a league match against city-rivals Esteghlal at the end of last month, forcing Persepolis to put out a makeshift backline in the first leg against Al Sadd in Doha.

We are a few days away from the second leg of the AFC Champions League and there are five stars across the four remaining teams who have previously walked victorious with AFC titles.

Now these players are on a mission to replicate their triumphs in the hope of claiming the most prestigious club title in Asia.

Suwon said on Monday that they've rehired Seo, who had announced his resignation on August 28, and that Seo will lead the team for the rest of this season.

When Seo resigned, Suwon were in fourth place in the K League 1 standings.

However, they struggled after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia break, collecting only five wins, two draws against five losses, which pressured Seo to step down.

Jesualdo Ferreira's high-flying Al Sadd came into the game at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium looking to exploit the absence of several key Persepolis players, but were instead left frustrated by a perfect defensive display from the visitors, before Ali Alipour struck an 86th-minute penalty to seal an unlikely win.

The Iran international pulled off an impressive six saves to keep his side in the match in Doha, securing a cleansheet and giving teammate Ali Alipour the platform to dispatch an 86th-minute spot-kick for the game's only goal.

Beiranvand's 100 percent save success rate, three duels won and 25 successful passes all earn him a weekly high mark of 7.7.

Second in this week’s ranking is Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker Dejan Damjanovic (pictured below), who scored his eighth goal of the campaign as the Korean side lost 3-2 at Kashima Antlers.