Originally set for November this year, the AFF Cup was then postponed to April-May of next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now rescheduled to next December as the AFF prioritises the health and safety of all its stakeholders.

It looms a blockbuster battle worthy of a continental decider, but the clash between two of the East zone’s two most impressive outfits comes at the quarter-final stage, with one of the pair set to be abruptly eliminated.

The two sides had met twice in the group stage with Kyogo Furuhashi’s added time strike winning the first leg for Vissel Kobe back in February and Suwon Samsung Bluewings responding with a 2-0 win on the final matchday that sealed their place in the knock-out stage at the expense of Guangzhou Evergrande.

Tuesday's quarter-final draw pitted Vissel Kobe against Suwon Samsung Bluewings while Beijing FC are to face Ulsan Hyundai in what promises to be a thrilling pair of match-ups on Thursday.

Ahead of the games, the-AFC.com has selected a forward from each side who could be the difference when it comes to securing a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League semi-finals.

Doha: Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Kim Tae-hwan has been voted by the fans as the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) Toyota Player of the Week after an excellent display in his side's come-from-behind 3-2 Round of 16 win over Yokohama F. Marinos as the K League 1 team advanced to the quarter-finals.

The midfielder, who amassed 50 percent of the fans' votes, drilled home Suwon's equaliser with a superb strike from outside the box just before the hour mark with his first goal of the campaign, He earned an 8.0 rating from Stats Perform – the AFC's official data provider.

In a week of hat-tricks and history, the continent’s international stars were in unstoppable form. This week’s 10 contenders produced a combined total of 15 goals, four assists and countless other highlights, with several other worthy candidates unlucky not to be nominated.

So just who was Asia’s best player outside the continent? Here are our perfect 10 from December 3 to 9.