A 1-1 draw at Saitama Stadium was enough to earn the two-time champions a place in the last four on the away goals rule after the quarter-final meeting between the sides ended in a 3-3 aggregate draw.

And while Urawa’s two goals in the first leg in Shanghai were key to the victory, Otsuki stressed that the experience shown by the likes of Shusaku Nishikawa and Shinzo Koroki was of vital importance in Reds’ success.

Urawa advanced after the two-legged meeting between the teams ended in a 3-3 draw, meaning the Japanese side progressed by virtue of the away goals rule as SIPG fell short once again in the continental championship.

The result meant the quarter-final tie ended in a 3-3 aggregate draw and, with Urawa scoring twice in Shanghai in the first leg last month, the 2007 and 2017 champions advanced to the next round, where they will face either Kashima Antlers or Guangzhou Evergrande.

Having cancelled each other in a goalless draw in Jeddah three weeks ago, the onus was on Al Hilal to end their visitors’ seven-match unbeaten run in the 2019 AFC Champions League if they were to advance to the semi-finals.

The 24-year-old was injured in his club’s Chinese Super League defeat at the hands of Jiangsu Suning on Friday and head coach Fabio Cannavaro remains unsure whether the China international will be available for selection.

The defender is competing in the Continental tournament for the first time after joining the two-time winners from Hebei CFFC in February, and he will look to take his place in the starting line-up in the second leg of the quarter-final against Kashima Antlers on Wednesday. 

With the contest delicately poised after a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Guangzhou, the visitors will know the value of an away goal, but there will be plenty of pressure on Gao and his fellow defenders to keep an in-form Kashima frontline quiet at the other end.

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.