Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Riyadh last month, Xavi said Al Sadd produced the great performance required as the Doha-based club defeated Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr 3-1 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium to advance to their second successive AFC Champions League semi-finals.

Having won each of their four home games in the competition so far, Xavi’s Al Sadd needed to extend the run if they were to secure a last-four place, having lost 2-1 in Riyadh.

Two first-half goals had stunned the home crowd at Shanghai Stadium last month when Tomoaki Makino and Shinzo Koroki gave visitors Urawa Red Diamonds a 2-0 lead at the break, but two penalties emphatically converted by Hulk after the restart saw the scores finish level in China PR.

With the away goal advantage and in front of their home support, Urawa have been left in a strong position to advance to the last four for the fourth time in seven appearances, while Shanghai SIPG would be looking to reach just their second semi-final.

Going into the matches, only Al Nassr start with a lead while the other three fixtures will kick off all square. Ahead of what promises to be an intriguing few days packed with drama and tension, the-AFC.com has picked five things to look out for.

Many of Urawa Reds current side know what it takes, and what it feels like, to be AFC Champions League winners. Less than two years ago, the likes of Shusaku Nishikawa, Tomoaki Makino and Shinzo Koroki lifted the trophy into the Saitama night sky.

Two from that squad, captain Yuki Abe and Tadaaki Hirakawa, had also won the title 10 years earlier; a success that had a profound impact on current defender Hashioka, the youngest player in the first team.

Urawa hold a slender advantage after the first leg of the quarter-final clash in Shanghai last month, when the two away goals earned in the 2-2 draw against Vitor Pereira’s side left the two-time champions needing only a low-scoring draw to advance to the last four for the fourth time since 2007.

Victory, of course, would take Urawa through but they will also advance should they notch up either a goalless draw or a 1-1 tie thanks to the goals scored by Tomoaki Makino and Shinzo Koroki in the first 45 minutes in China PR.

After securing a scoreless draw in the first leg at Tianhe Stadium in late August, the hosts go into the game on a fine run of form as a 2-0 victory over J.League leaders FC Tokyo at the weekend saw Kashima close the gap to just one point at the top of the table.

But while their season continues to go from strength to strength as they chase silverware on four fronts, the lack of an away goal in China could yet leave them in a perilous position and a Guangzhou goal could change the whole trajectory of the tie.