AFC Champions League 2018 - Archive Photos

Aloisi, who secured Australia's place in the 2006 World Cup after slotting home a winning playoff penalty against Uruguay, said it was in the best interests of the club that he stand down.

"For the past three-and-a-half years, I have given every minute of my life to make the Brisbane Roar a success," he said in a statement.

"Upon reflection of the current situation, I have made the difficult decision to stand down effective immediately as I believe this is in the best interest of the playing group and football club."

Alexandre Polking’s side face Hanoi FC of Vietnam in the preliminary stage of the AFC Champions League on February 12, in their third appearance in the Continental competition following stints in 2007 and 2017.

Bangkok United’s best finish came in 2007 where they reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Western Melbourne Group will enter the competition in season 2019/20, with Macarthur South West Sydney entering the competition the following season 2020/21.

In deciding to expand the competition in this manner, the FFA Board accepted the recommendations of the FFA Senior Executive. Two Directors, Remo Nogarotto and Joseph Carrozzi, recused themselves from deliberations and decision-making on the matter.

Football Federation Australia Chairman, Chris Nikou, said it was an exciting time for football and the level of interest in joining the A-League from prospective bidders highlighted the huge potential for the game in Australia.

“We have seen unprecedented interest from bids to be part of the A-League and we are excited about our two new expansion clubs in Sydney and Melbourne.

The win took Persija to 62 points, pipping PSM Makassar by just one point to the title.

The title means Persija will play in the preliminary round of the 2019 AFC Champions League, where they will try to navigate into the group stage after falling short in 2018.

Winning the Emperor's Cup for the seventh time means Urawa have sealed a place in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Urawa, the 2017 AFC Champions League winners, missed out on this season's campaign after failing to qualify.

The club, who announced ten Cate's appointment on social media, said the Dutchman will take charge of the UAE Pro League side this coming week.

The former Barcelona and Chelsea assistant coach replaces Romanian Laurențiu Reghecampf, who was relieved of his position in late November.

Three second half goals secured Daegu their first ever honour since being founded in 2002.

Daegu, led by Brazilian head coach Andre Luiz Alves Santos, will now make their debut appearance in the 2019 AFC Champions League. They will be in Group F, facing Chinese Super League runners-up Guangzhou Evergrande, Australian A-League final series winners Melbourne Victory and a winner from the play-offs.

Both teams finished out of the 2019 AFC Champions League positions in the recently concluded J.League season, with Urawa settling for fifth place and Vegalta in 11th.

Both teams will be eager to claim the 2019 AFC Champions League slot as for Urawa, it would mean a return to the Continent's premier Club tournament while it would be a comeback after six years for Vegalta.

Daegu's Brazilian striker Edgar Bruno da Silva, known simply as Edgar, scored a late winner at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan and stunned the defending FA Cup champions. With the first leg win, Daegu can lift their first FA Cup trophy with a draw or even with a 1-0 loss in the second leg.

The FA Cup employs a home-and-away format for the final match. The aggregate score will determine the FA Cup champions, with the away goals rule in effect. The returning leg will be played at Daegu Stadium in Daegu on Saturday.

The winner of this cup competition will directly reach the group stage of the AFC Champions League next year.

Hosogai, who began his professional career with Urawa Red Diamonds in 2005, assisted the club to numerous titles such as the J.League, Emperor’s Cup and the Japanese Super Cup in 2006, including the 2007 AFC Champions League.

In 2011, the midfielder made his move overseas to German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen before transferring to Hertha BSC two years later. After a stint in VfB Stuttgart, Hosogai returned to Japan, playing for Kashiwa Reysol in 2017.

More commonly known as Mauricio, the 30-year-old has an extensive record of playing in Brazil’s top tier league, Campeonato Paulista, where he earned his first league title in 2008 with Palmeiras.

Mauricio is also no stranger to clubs outside of Brazil, having played with Portugal’s Sporting CP and securing the Taca de Portugal in the 2014/15 season, before transferring to Italy’s Lazio.

His career as a professional footballer has seen him on loan to various clubs, but he has also proven himself to be an essential part of a team and assisted those clubs in clinching domestic titles, namely for Spartak Moscow of Russia in 2017 and Poland’s Legia Warsaw in 2018.

The two K League 1 clubs will go head-to-head in the two-legged final of the 2018 KFA FA Cup this week. The first leg will be played at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Wednesday, followed by the return leg at Daegu Stadium on Sunday.

Ulsan head coach Kim Do-hoon said his side are ready to defend the domestic cup crown. Ulsan claimed their first ever FA Cup title last year after edging out Busan IPark FC 2-1 on aggregate.

"We're happy to be in the final of this prestigious tournament," Kim said. "We will not miss this opportunity and will give our best to defend the title."