Goulart, the AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player and top scorer in 2015, is expecting a tough clash against a side that contains star power such as Alexandre Pato, Anthony Modeste and Axel Witsel.

“We always expect a difficult match,” he told the-AFC.com.

“These are two different competitions, (and) sometimes the team focuses on one competition and leaves aside the other. Regardless of their form at the moment, it will be two difficult matches and we have to be at our best.

With the top three teams in Group G – Guangzhou Evergrande, Cerezo Osaka and Buriram United – all still in with a chance of progressing heading into the final matches, the home side knew a win would guarantee their progression and they raced out of the blocks in search for an early goal, with Nemanja Gudelj coming close in just the second minute.

Their high-octane start was rewarded in the sixth minute when Huang Bowen fired in the opener to the delight of the packed stands at the Tianhe Stadium.

Fabio Cannavaro’s side couldn’t hang on to their lead for long, however, and just three minutes later the raucous home crowd was silenced when Takaki Fukumitsu broke the offside trap and rounded Zeng Cheng to make it 1-1.

Undeterred Guangzhou Evergrande continued to attack and almost regained their lead, but were denied by some heroic defending, with Kakeru Funaki blocking Zheng Long’s goal-bound effort after 25 minutes.

The Japanese side battled gamely despite having already been eliminated but the defeat saw them finish in third position.

Tianjin made an early chance when Su Yuanjie crossed from the left and Alexandre Pato headed just over in the 13th minute.

The home side then took the lead when a volley from Zhao Xuri was deflected in after 24 minutes.

And Zhao put Tianjin two ahead six minutes later. His header from Pato’s cross was beaten out by Haruhiko Nakamoto but Zhao lashed home the rebound from close range.

Yusuke Segawa came close for the visitors when he darted into the six-yard box but saw his effort blocked by Tianjin keeper Sun Qibin.

The Round of 16 stage promises to be a thrilling affair with several former AFC Champions League winners taking their place alongside teams who will be aiming to win the coveted title for the first time.

The 20-year-old hit the headlines on Matchday Four with a dramatic late goal against Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, in a moment that clearly captured the imagination of those who follow the continental competition as the fine effort earned 73 percent of the vote to win the poll.

The victory confirmed that the Korean side would finish bottom of the group, while Buriram edged ahead of Cerezo Osaka and behind Guangzhou Evergrande.

Supachai Jaided had the first good effort for Buriram when he forced Kim Kyeong-min to push wide a powerful angled shot in the 13th minute.

Jeju then came within inches of taking the lead in the 21st minute when Magno Cruz beat the offside trap before his chip over Siwarak Tedsungnoen struck the post.

Buriram came agonisingly close in the 30th minute when Jakkaphan Kaewprom crashed in a shot that beat the goalkeeper but was headed off the line by Cho Yong-hyung.

Jeonbuk aimed to end the group stage with a win and it was they who had the best of the chances in the first half, with Adriano coming closest with a header that went just wide midway through the half.

The Brazilian thought he had opened the scoring on the hour mark, again with a header, only to be denied by a wonderful save from Wang Zhenpeng.

The home side’s pressure and dominance eventually was rewarded 20 minutes from time when Ricardo Lopes floated in a cross from the left, with Kim Shin-wook beating the offside trap to head the ball back across goal to an unmarked Lee Seung-gi, who made no mistake with just the keeper to beat.