The 2011 winners Al Sadd SC are the only former champions in contention in the West and they are joined by a trio of Saudi clubs, a pair of Tehran giants and one side apiece from both the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

With four hotly anticipated match-ups to come over the weekend, the-AFC.com has selected five things to look out for as the non-stop action continues.

Doha: Esteghlal FC's Mehdi Ghaedi has been voted by the fans as the 2020 AFC Champions League Matchday Six Toyota Player of the Week.

Ghaedi, who shone during the Iranian side's 3-0 win over Al Ahli Saudi FC on Matchday Six, was top of OPTA's ratings after he received an impressive 8.6 rating following a goal and an assist in the comprehensive victory for the Tehran giants and the fans agreed.

Established names have proven themselves, while young talents have emerged in the six matchdays of the group stage. the-AFC.com profiles eight key players who have guided their teams into the next round.

There were no shortage of goals as the matches on Wednesday and Thursday saw last gasp turnarounds for some teams and heartbreak for others.

Pakhtakor returned to the knockout stage for the first time since 2010 after topping Group B with 10 points. The annulment of Al Hilal SFC’s results meant Pakhtakor had secured their place in the next round before kicking off their Matchday Six win over Shahr Khodro.

Al Ahli reached the knock-out stage for the eighth time in their history after topping Group A with six points. Following the withdrawal of Al Wahda FSCC and annulment of their results, Al Ahli's 1-0 win over Al Shorta on Matchday Three meant they advanced to the next round with two games to spare, having picked up four points from their first two matches.