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 thrilling Group B action will continue just hours later when two-time AFC Champions League winners Al Ittihad from Saudi Arabia take on Qatar’s Al Rayyan SC, who will be looking to reach the knockout rounds for the first time.

Meanwhile in Group A, all eyes will be on Al Zawraa Club, who will be the first Iraqi side to feature in the competition’s group stage since 2008 when they travel to IR Iran to face Zobahan FC at the Foolad Shahr Stadium, Isfahan at 7:00pm (local time). Dubai-based Al Wasl FC and Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr complete the Group A action as both sides prepare to battle in the UAE at 7:20pm (local time).

Holders Kashima Antlers will be among the main draws, while Groups E to H feature a total of five former champions and three debutants in what promises to be an exciting round of fixtures.

Iraqi teams return to the AFC Champions League for the first time in over a decade as Al Zawraa line-up in Group A, while all three past winners from West Asia - Al Ain, Al Ittihad and Al Sadd - are present in the group stage.

After exiting in the qualifying rounds in each of the past four years, Johor have finally realised their ambition of joining the Continent’s elite in Asia’s premier club competition, with the 2018 Malaysia Super League champions gaining automatic entry into the 2019 group stage.

And they could have been given no tougher introduction than at the home of the defending champions Kashima, who eased past Australia’s Newcastle Jets 4-1 in the play-off round to qualify for the group stage.

The vastly experienced 37-year-old defender captained Ulsan Hyundai to the AFC Champions League title in 2012, scoring the first goal in a 3-0 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in the final, as they completed a stunning run of nine victories in a row to be crowned kings of Asia.

Kwak, who joined the Changwon side prior to the 2019 campaign, then finished as a runner-up with Al Hilal in 2014, and, more recently, was part of the FC Seoul team that eliminated Tuesday’s opponents at the quarter-final stage in 2016.

Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad had qualified directly to the group stage, but the Riyadh-based club had to navigate a play-off first to join the rest of the kingdom’s ‘Big four’.

The debutants from Uzbekistan had two clear-cut chances in an otherwise compact first half at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium in the Saudi capital.