Al Hilal paired with Persepolis in last 16

In their bid to reach a second successive AFC Champions League final, Al Hilal will face Persepolis in the competition’s first knockout round.

The Saudi side were beaten by Western Sydney Wanderers in last year’s showpiece and after topping Group C with 13 points from their six matches they will now take on Persepolis, who won four Group A games to finish runners-up.

Iranian club Persepolis will have home advantage for the first leg against last year’s runners-up.

Lekhwiya topped that group, and have been rewarded with a last-16 tie against fellow Qatari side Al Sadd.

The other ties in the West Asia Zone see Al Ahli of United Arab Emirates meet Al Ain, while the former’s namesakes from Saudi Arabia will take on Naft Tehran.

In the East Asia Zone, there is a strong South Korean presence with all four sides from the group stage making it through as runners-up.

Seoul, losing finalists in 2013, will take on Gamba Osaka after a late goal from Mauricio Molina ensured they beat Kashima Antlers 3-2 to progress at the expense of reigning champions Western Sydney.

Guangzhou Evergrande – who defeated Seoul two years ago – face Seongnam.

In the other ties, Suwon Bluewings have been drawn against Kashiwa Reysol and Jeonbuk Motors were paired with Beijing Guoan.

The first legs will be played on May 19 and 20, with the return fixtures taking place the following week.

Draw in full:

Persepolis v Al Hilal, Al Sadd v Lekhwiya, Jeonbuk Motors v Beijing Guoan, Suwon Bluewings v Kashiwa Reysol, Naft Tehran v Al Ahli, Al Ahli v Al Ain, Seongnam v Guangzhou Evergrande, Seoul v Gamba Osaka.