Seven sides from the A-League have previously appeared on Asia's grandest club stage, with Western Sydney Wanderers' 2014 title-winning campaign proving the most memorable to date.

And at the helm of Australia's eighth entrant to the AFC Champions League competition is a man who knows what it takes to go all the way: former Wanderers coach Tony Popovic.

Having sat out last week's fixtures, Korea Republic duo FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Australian pair Perth Glory and Sydney FC and China PR's Beijing FC all make their first starts in this year's competition.

As 2018-19 A-League Premiers, the Western Australia club qualified for the competition for the first time and, after last week’s match against Shanghai Shenhua was postponed, they will make their tournament bow away at Tokyo Stadium.

For their veteran skipper Castro, who has been at Perth since 2015, the chance to test their wits against the best in Asia marks the realisation of a dream for a player who made well over 200 La Liga appearances for Sporting Gijon and Getafe in his native Spain.

With 32 goals in 12 games, including a resounding win for a tournament debutant and a heavy loss for a side on a miserable run, join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the facts and figures that caught the eye in the first week in numbers of the new campaign.

Hat-trick hero Keijiro Ogawa helped Vissel Kobe defeat Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) 5-1 in their debut win at home in the Group G opener on Wednesday as the 27-year-old picked up this week's top player plaudit.

Ogawa showed an impressive clinical edge to his finishing with his three goals coming from three shots on target. The wide forward also created three chances for his teammates.

The Matchday Two fixtures come on Monday, hot on the heels of the first set of games, but before that the-AFC.com looks back at what some of those involved had to say.

Swedish forward Toivanen’s penalty midway through the first half proved the difference at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as the Australian side moved to the top of the standings, with both Beijing FC and FC Seoul not in action.

But, while the hosts were the better side, their last win in the competition came back in April 2018 and they picked up just one point in six games in a disastrous 2019 campaign, something their skipper alluded to.