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.

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.

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.

A stunning comeback saw Kashima come from two down to claim a 3-2 win over Suwon, while it was smash-and-grab for Persepolis as they scored a late penalty to see off Al Sadd 1-0 in Doha. Here's our look back at the week in numbers.

I'd like to say thank you to our supporters for coming out to cheer for us. There was a lot of noise for us tonight from the stands and we felt it. Please continue to support us for the games to come as you did today!

Serginho hails the passionate Kashima Antlers support after the J.League side came back from two goals down to beat Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3-2 in the first leg at Kashima Soccer Stadium.

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.

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.