The two teams suffered a disappointing season both domestically and in Asia. Esteghlal watched their arch-rivals Persepolis walk away with the Iranian Pro League title for a third year running while they finished third.

Al Ain, meanwhile, are also third but have a crucial game next week against fifth-placed Al Wahda with a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League at stake.

Monday’s encounter is the ninth between the two Continental giants. In the previous eight match-ups, Esteghlal hold a marginal advantage with three wins, to two Al Ain victories. The last three clashes between the two teams ended in draws.

With seven out of the eight round-of-16 West sides already confirmed, the final matchday will see clubs battle for the top spot in their respective groups.

The former Barcelona midfielder brings to an end a four-year stay in Doha as he prepares to hang his boots following the Persepolis clash, closing the curtains on the final act of a 22-year career which saw him win 32 titles, the last of which was the 2018-19 Qatar Stars League.

In Tehran, a repeat of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final between Persepolis and Al Sadd comes under contrasting circumstances, with Al Sadd already qualified and Persepolis eliminated from Group D.

On Monday, the two sides meet for the sixth time in just over a year. Persepolis and Al Sadd were pitted together in Group C last time around. A brace from Baghdad Bounedjah helped Al Sadd to a 3-1 win in Doha on Matchday Two.

With Al Sadd having already booked their ticket to the knock-out stage from Group D, Pakhtakor travel to Jeddah for what is essentially a cup tie against 2012 runners-up Al Ahli.

The Uzbek side sit second in the standings on eight points. A 1-0 victory over Persepolis in the previous matchday eliminated the Iranians from the competition, leaving Pakhtakor in need of one point in Saudi Arabia.

Four places have already been decided as Shandong Luneng, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors all secured a spot in the knockout stages a fortnight ago.

But four tickets to the last 16 still remain up for grabs for the teams from the East Zone, with some exciting encounters set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Heading into the final matchday, Persepolis had recorded four back-to-back draws and needed a win to secure the title.

After a tight opening, Croatian forward Mario Budimir found the back of the net four minutes from the break as Persepolis held on to clinch their 12th league title.

A brace from playmaker Igor Coronado in each half on top of a Welliton strike was enough for Sharjah to claim domestic honours in almost a quarter of a century, while Leonardo da Silva and Sebastian Tagliabue were on target for Al Wahda.

Sharjah cannot be caught by second-placed Shabab Al Ahli because of their superior head-to-head record. The Dubai side sit three points off the summit with the final round of fixtures to be played on Saturday.