Al Hilal found themselves behind after 15 minutes when Bafétimbi Gomis scored an own goal, but the French forward subsequently netted a goal in each half to help his side record a comfortable victory against an Al Sadd outfit who had Abdulkarim Hassan sent off in the first half.

Al Sadd came into the match on the back of a five-game winning run at home, while Al Hilal were in search of just their second victory in nine away encounters against Qatari opponents.

Describing Al Hilal as one of the strongest teams in the region, head coach Xavi said Al Sadd have prepared thoroughly for the challenge the Saudi Arabia club will pose.

Al Hilal counterpart Răzvan Lucescu said it will be a meeting between two teams of high quality.

First up, the 2011 winners Al Sadd of Qatar take on Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, followed by a pair of two-time champions in Urawa Red Diamonds and Guangzhou Evergrande meeting a day later. Ahead of the eagerly awaited clashes, here’s the-AFC.com’s five things to look out for.

Guangzhou take on Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Wednesday in the first leg of their last four clash with Cannavaro’s side in the midst of a minor slump as the two-time champions go into the meeting without a win in their last five games in all competitions.

Having seen his side overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit in the second leg of their Round of 16 meeting with Ulsan Hyundai in Korea Republic in June, Otsuki is focusing on the aggregate result rather than the outcome of the game at Saitama Stadium 2002.

Following a disappointing period at Tottenham Hotspur, the 31-year-old resurrected his career during his first stint with Guangzhou, when he won the 2015 AFC Champions League, two Chinese Super League titles and earned a recall to the Brazilian national team.

Barcelona came calling and, during a year in Spain, Paulinho won the La Liga–Copa del Rey double before returning to Guangzhou after reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 with La Seleção.