Ulsan Hyundai, Beijing Guoan set for heavyweight ACL clash

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Kim In-seong (L) of Ulsan Hyundai FC vies with Jake Brimmer of Melbourne Victory FC the round of 16 match between Ulsan Hyundai FC of South Korea and Melbourne Victory FC of Australia at the AFC Champions League in Doha, Qatar, Dec. 6, 2020. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)

The AFC Champions League is heating up. Ulsan Hyundai FC and Beijing FC, both so far unbeaten in the competition, will face off during Thursday's quarter-final at the Al Janoub Stadium.

A blockbuster worthy battle looms as each side attempts not to be eliminated from this quarter-final clash.

To the delight of head coach Kim Do-hoon, Ulsan Hyundai have roared into the last eight for the first time since they won the title in 2012, winning all six of their matches in Doha.

Those goals have flowed freely from a number of sources. Yoon Bit-garam and Bjørn Johnsen have bagged four each, while Kim In-sung and K League top scorer Júnior Negrão have both found the net on two occasions.

Ulsan booked their quarter-final ticket with a 3-0 win over Australia's Melbourne Victory, in which all three goals – two from Johnsen, the other from Won Du-jae – came from the Korean outfit's bench.

They come into the latter stages of the tournament largely free of injury concerns, with only South Korean international goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo – who tested positive for COVID-19 last month – unavailable during the Round of 16.

Unlike Ulsan, Beijing is set to appear at this stage of the competition for the first time in club history, but its road to the quarter-finals is every bit as impressive as their Korean rivals.

Both sides picked up 16 of a possible 18 points in the group stage, with Bruno Génésio's Beijing progressing with a 1-0 victory against FC Tokyo on Monday.

Aside from a 1-1 dead-rubber draw against Chiangrai United on Matchday Six, Beijing have won every match in this year's tournament. This seven-match unbeaten streak, the amount of group stage points and place in the last eight are all unprecedented achievements for the club.

The Chinese side are blessed with quality all over the pitch. Brazilian internationals Renato Augusto and Fernando have been superb in midfield, Kim Min-jae is considered one of the best defenders anywhere in Asia, and A Lan, formerly known as Alan Carvalho, has led the way in attack with four goals.

They also feature Jonathan Viera, a former La Liga star who leads the competition for assists with four and whose tally of 17 chances created puts him on level with Ulsan's Yoon at the top of the tournament leaderboard.

Beijing will need to make more history if they are to extend their campaign further. They have lost four of their AFC Champions League matches against Ulsan, with the last two coming in the South Korean team's triumphant 2012 campaign.

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