With the AFC Champions League Elite semifinals kicking off on Tuesday, teams are now just one win away from booking their place in the final of Asian football's premier club competition.
Three Saudi Pro League giants -- Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr -- as well as the East region's last hope in Kawasaki Frontale are still in the running to be crowned champions of the continent.
Given the high-stakes nature of the last four, matches can often be decided by a solitary moment -- or even a single player.
So who could be potentially be the game changers for each team?
Marcos Leonardo (Al Hilal)
A silky-skilled Brazilian forward leading the way for Al Hilal may have been on the script at the start of the campaign, but a major plot twist has emerged in the fact that the player in question has not been a certain Neymar.
When Neymar was originally sidelined with a long-term injury prior to his subsequent return to Santos, it was Marcos Leonardo who emerged as Al Hilal's main attacking threat -- with the relatively-unheralded 21-year-old more than holding his own alongside his more-illustrious teammates like Aleksandar Mitrović, Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari.
When Mitrović himself was absent through injury, Leonardo filled in admirably as the focal point in attack despite in not being his natural position -- using his intelligence and skill to bring others into play even if he did not always get on the scoresheet.
A Santos academy graduate like Neymar, the former Benfica man has since proven to be impossible for Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus to omit.
Even with Mitrović returning in the 7-0 quarterfinal win over Gwangju FC, Leonardo retained his place in the starting XI and it was a testament to his impact that he featured in the No. 10 role at the expense of captain Al-Dawsari, who was deployed on the wing.
Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli)
Given the wealth of attacking talent at Al Ahli's disposal, any of their attacking quartet could be picked as their player to watch.
Ivan Toney is the perfect spearhead, Roberto Firmino continues to be a creative force and even the lesser-known Galeno has been a handy contributor.
Yet, in terms of sheer output and game-changing moments, none have surpassed Riyad Mahrez.
Any suggestions that the Algeria captain moved to Saudi Arabia to comfortably wind down his career have been emphatically quashed by him performing at the same level as he did when he won countless trophies with Leicester and Manchester City.
With nine goals to his name, Mahrez is currently the joint-top scorer of the ACL Elite alongside Al Hilal's Al-Dawsari and certainly one of the frontrunners to take home the Most Valuable Player award.
Jhon Durán (Al Nassr)
It is easy to automatically look to Cristiano Ronaldo as Al Nassr's main man. Even for variety's sake, there is also Sadio Mané to plump for.
Nonetheless, perhaps the one player that has really lifted Al Nassr to another level is a more-recent arrival in Jhon Durán.
Despite only joining the club from Aston Villa midway through the campaign, Durán has fitted in seamlessly at Al Nassr -- even if his signing has led to a change in system employed by coach Stefano Pioli.
In order to accommodate two out-and-out strikers, Pioli has switched from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a traditional 4-4-2.
While it might not have been the obvious choice given his advancing years, it is actually Ronaldo that has been freed up to drop deep and feature more in the build-up of play while Durán stays relatively fixed as the attacking point of reference.
This has not only led to Durán being consistently among the goals but has also allowed Ronaldo more freedom to do what he does best in making his way into scoring opportunities with late runs into the area, especially with opposition defences now also busy minding the Colombia international.
It was a tactic which worked wonders on Saturday when Durán netted twice while Ronaldo and Mané also scored in Al Nassr's 4-1 quarterfinal win over Yokohama F. Marinos, and should continue to serve them well as they attempt to win a maiden ACL Elite crown.
Akihiro Ienaga (Kawasaki Frontale)
Compared to the SPL trio's plethora of global stars, Kawasaki's success continues to largely be fuelled by a core of local talent.
The well-oiled factory line that produced current Europe-based names such as Kaoru Mitoma, Ao Tanaka and Hidemasa Morita is also responsible for key members of the present side such as captain Yasuto Wakizaka and rising star Kota Takai.
One local player that boasts European experience however is ex-Mallorca man Akihiro Ienaga who, even at the age of 38, continues to come up with the goods.
Ienaga still made 28 starts in the J1 League last season but is starting to feature more from the bench this term under new Kawasaki coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, who replaced the long-serving Toru Oniki at the end of last year.
But on the biggest of occasions, he is often still called upon for his experience and enduring ability on the ball.
On Sunday, Ienaga's guile saw him find a hole in the Al Sadd defence to exploit - as he advanced down the right unchallenged before clipping an inch-perfect ball on his non-preferred right foot for Erison to sweep home for Kawasaki's opener, which led to a 3-2 extra-time win.
In spite of his age, Ienaga was able to last 82 minutes before being replaced as an additional 30 minutes beckoned.
He may not influence an entire match as he used to but Ienaga remains very capable of producing that one moment that might be the difference in Kawasaki reaching the ACL Elite final for the first time.