Soccer-Holders Ulsan to face fellow Koreans Jeonbuk in ACL quarters

Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai will take on K League rivals Jeonbuk Motors next month for a place in the Asian Champions League semi-finals, with 2019 winners Al Hilal meeting Iran's Persepolis. A third South Korean club, Pohang Steelers, will play Japan's Nagoya Grampus while Al Nassr from Saudi Arabia meet Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates.

Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai will take on K League rivals Jeonbuk Motors next month for a place in the Asian Champions League semi-finals, with 2019 winners Al Hilal meeting Iran's Persepolis.

A third South Korean club, Pohang Steelers, will play Japan's Nagoya Grampus while Al Nassr from Saudi Arabia meet Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates. Matches are to be played on Oct. 16 in Riyadh for teams in the west of Asia and a day later in Jeonju, South Korea for the eastern side of the continent.

Ulsan, who won a record 15 straight matches in the competition before seeing off Kawasaki Frontale in a shootout in the last round, face one of their stiffest challenges yet against Kim Sang-sik's side. The teams met last Friday in the domestic league, with the scoreless draw keeping Ulsan top.

Jeonbuk also needed penalties to get past Thailand's BG Pathum United. Three-time Asian champions Pohang, who are appearing in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2014, meet a Nagoya side that defeated South Korea's Daegu FC in the previous round.

Al Hilal take on Persepolis, who lost in the final in 2018 and 2020, having beaten the Tehran club's cross-city rivals Esteghlal in the last 16 earlier this week. Henk ten Cate's Al Wahda advanced to the last eight after defeating compatriots Sharjah and meet an Al Nassr side looking to win the title for the first time.

The quarter-finals will be played on Oct. 16 and 17 with the semi-finals to be held on Oct. 19 and 20. Both games will be single leg matches after the Asian Football Confederation shelved the home-and-away format for this year and 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Saudi Arabia will also host the final, which is scheduled to be played on Nov. 23. Asian Champions League quarter-final draw:

Al Wahda (UAE) v Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia) Persepolis (Iran) v Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

Jeonbuk Motors (South Korea) v Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) Pohang Steelers (South Korea) v Nagoya Grampus (Japan)