Marinos make their return to the continental championship for the first time since 2014 when they face two-time champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Group H, which also features Sydney FC and Shanghai SIPG, on Wednesday.

They do so off the back of a penalty shootout loss in the Japan Super Cup on Saturday against fellow AFC Champions League participants Vissel Kobe after the pair shared a 3-3 draw at Saitama Stadium.

Yamaguchi’s successful spot-kick came after the game had ended in a 3-3 draw at the conclusion of 90 minutes and a string of missed penalties from both sides took the shoot-out deep into sudden death.

Kobe, who take on Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday, never trailed throughout the course of the game and add the Super Cup to the Emperor’s Cup title they won at the end of last season.

It may have taken him until his 35th year, but veteran striker Bill had arguably the most successful season of his career in 2019 when he fired Chiangrai United past the usual heavyweights in Thailand to the club's first league championship.

Top scoring for the side with 14 goals, the Brazilian and his teammates edged defending champions Buriram United by virtue of a superior head-to-head record and with it earned a debut appearance in the AFC Champions League. The significance of which Bill is only too aware.

Ahead of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage kicking-off on Monday, the-AFC.com looks at some of the biggest names signed over the past few months who could make the difference for their new clubs in the continental competition.

From Continental champions to scorers of great goals and title-winning starlets – all of whom are 21 or under – there’s plenty to get excited about with the talent that will be on display during Asia’s biggest club competition.

The Continent's top clubs will bid for supremacy and the-AFC.com tells you all you need to know through the 2020 AFC Champions League official guide.

Click HERE to view the 2020 AFC Champions League Media Guide.

Al Hilal's Baftembi Gomis earned himself the top scorer award in 2019 with 11 goals. But with several exciting attackers involved in this year's competition, the goals race is set to be even more heated.

Gomis returns but alongside him below are a selection of leading candidates who could take the mantle from the Frenchman in 2020.