Zhang, a member of the Guangzhou squad that won the AFC Champions League title in 2013 and 2015, sustained the injury to his right ankle early in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Vissel Kobe on November 25.

Guangzhou announced the 31-year-old China PR international had undergone an operation on the affected area and would be out of action for at least six weeks.

While five of the eight positions in the knockout rounds have now been claimed after the latest set of matches, three places remain up for grabs with four crucial fixtures to take place in Groups E, F and G to decide the runners-up spots.

As fans of Asian football await yet more drama in the Continent's premier club competition, the-AFC.com has chosen five things to look out for ahead of the matches.

After a quiet first half, Suwon Samsung finally got off the mark in the competition through Lim Sang-heyob’s tap-in on the rebound from Lee Ki-je’s free-kick. Wei Shihao equalised for Guangzhou Evergrande in the 72nd minute, but they were reduced to 10 men just two minutes later as Zhon Yihao was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

The draw meant Suwon Samsung Bluewings need to beat runaway group leaders Vissel Kobe with two goals if they are to snatch the second place in the group, currently occupied by Guangzhou Evergrande who have already completed their group stage fixtures.

The Chinese side have the best record in the competition’s East Zone, winning all five of their matches in a manner which suggests they may well be among the title contenders in two weeks' time.

With nothing on the line for either side in Thursday’s clash at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Genesio believes he has a responsibility to allow his senior players to recover ahead of the knockout stage but backs those who come into the side to perform at a similar level.

With seven points, Shenhua are neck and neck with FC Tokyo in the race for the Round of 16, with the Chinese outfit needing to better Tokyo’s result in their simultaneous fixture against Perth Glory to keep their hopes alive.

Doha: Yokohama F. Marinos' Theerathon Bunmathan has been voted by the fans as the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) Toyota Player of the Week after a goalscoring performance in his side's 4-1 victory over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday.

The Thai left-back's blistering strike was his standout moment in an excellent all-round display that saw him ranked third in Stats Perform's – the Asian Football Confederation's official data provider – list of nominees for the accolade with an 8.4 rating.