AFC Champions League 2015 runners-up Shabab Al Ahli ended a seven-year drought to win their eighth UAE Pro League title in 2022-23 under the guidance of Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim. The 2021 continental champion with Al Hilal has since left Rashid Stadium to join Qatar’s Al Rayyan and has been replaced by Serbian Marko Nikolic who is set to make his debut with the club in Tuesday’s preliminary round game against Al Wehdat.

Ahead of a busy season, Shabab Al Ahli have strengthened their squad with the signing of former Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic as well as Mu'nas Dabbur from German side Hoffenheim.

 

Argentinian winger Federico Cartabia has been Shabab Al Ahli’s main man in recent years and was named the Best Foreign Player in the UAE Pro League on Thursday, while 20-year-old UAE international Harib Abdullah picked up the Best Young Player award in the same ceremony.

 

After competing in the AFC Cup™ for 11 years and reaching the semi-finals twice, Al Wehdat finally made the jump to the AFC Champions League in 2021. In their debut campaign, they collected a respectable tally of seven points and finished third in the group. The following year, they finished bottom with six points. The 17-time Jordanian champions will have to navigate two games if they are to make it three consecutive AFC Champions League appearances.

Having finished just one point behind champions Al Faisaly last season, Al Wehdat started the 2023-24 Jordanian Pro League season with back-to-back games against newly promoted sides Al Ahli and Al Jalil, collecting four points from the two encounters with a 1-0 win and 2-2 draw respectively.

 

Ivorian striker Bernard Doumbia joined Al Wehdat this summer after lengthy spells in Thailand and Kuwait and has started brightly, scoring in the 2-2 draw against Al Jalil. Meanwhile, club captain Mohammed Al Dameiri continues to lead by example from the back in his 15th season at the club over three spells.

 

After a 16-year absence from continental competitions, Sharjah returned to the AFC Champions League in 2020, following their first league title in over two decades. The club that had reached the quarter-finals back in 2004 has since competed in three consecutive editions of the competition, reaching the Round of 16 in 2021.

Under former Al Hilal, Al Ain and Jiangsu Suning head coach Cosmin Olaroiu, Sharjah have won the President’s Cup, the League Cup and the UAE Super Cup over the past 18 months, but have struggled in the league, finishing seventh in 2022-23.

 

Former Kashima Antlers and Al Ain winger Caio Lucas remains the club’s standout performer, but in ex AS Roma duo Miralem Pjanic and Kostas Manolas, Sharjah possess a lot of experience in midfield and defence, while Spanish international Paco Alcacer leads the line for them.

 

Despite being just a decade old, Bashundhara Kings have made huge strides in their short history, climbing rapidly through the Bangladeshi football pyramid, with their rise culminating in winning the Bangladesh Premier League title four times in a row.

Their serial success earned the Dhaka based club entry to the AFC Cup in 2021 and 2022. On their continental debut, they beat Maziya Sports and Recreation from the Maldives 2-0 and went on to collect five points, finishing third in the group. The following term, they improved on their results, but a 4-0 defeat to Mohun Bagan Super Giant saw them just miss out on reaching the knockout stage despite finishing level with the Indian side with six points.

 

After joining from Abahani Limited Dhaka, Brazilian forward Dorielton wasted no time in adapting to his new surroundings, winning the top scorer award in the 2022-23 Bangladesh Premier League season with 20 goals. International winger Rakib Hossain made the same move as Dorielton has become just as influential for the Bangladeshi champions.

 

AGMK have established themselves as perennial contenders at the very top of Uzbek football just 15 years after they were first promoted to the Uzbek Super League for the first time. The side from Olmaliq have finished in the top four for three consecutive seasons and contested the Uzbek final three times in the past five years, winning the title in 2018.

Having fell at the playoff hurdle in 2019, they made their AFC Champions League bow two years later, and were able to fight until the final matchday in a group that included the likes of Al Hilal, Shabab Al Ahli and Istiklol. Eventually they finished fourth, but with seven points, they were just three points away from qualifying to the round of 16.

 

With 16 games played in the Uzbek Super League this season, AGMK sit in fifth place, just behind AFC Champions League qualifying spots, and seven points behind leaders Pakhtakor. Italian forward Martin Boakye has been their best performer, bagging five goals so far, while they have recruited veteran defender Islom Tukhtakhujaev after a short spell at Qatar’s Al Gharafa.

 

Al Seeb became the first Omani club to win a continental competition when they were crowned AFC Cup 2022 winners, beating Kuala Lumpur City FC 3-0 in the final and go into the AFC Champions League preliminary round hoping to be the first-ever side from the Sultanate to reach the group stage. Domestically, Al Seeb missed out on a second consecutive Oman Pro League title, finishing five points behind champions Al Nahda.

Since then, local coach Rasheed Jaber has left the club and was replaced by AFC Asian Cup™ 2007 winner Jorvan Vieira who returns to Oman 19 years after he last coached there with Al Nasr.

 

Muhsen Al Ghassani was Al Seeb’s top scorer in the AFC Cup 2022 while it was club captain Eid Al Farsi who picked up the competition’s MVP award. Both are continuing with the club and Al Seeb have also invested in bringing in Oman international Amjad Al Harthi who returns to his boyhood club.