Lion City Sailors' quest to replicate last season's fairy tale run to the AFC Champions League Two final will require them to negotiate their way through some neighbouring foes.
Friday's group stage draw produce an all-Southeast Asian affair in Group G -- with the Sailors pitted against Malaysia Super League outfit Selangor, Thai League 1's Bangkok United and Persib Bandung of Indonesia's Liga 1.
The Singapore Premier League champions also met Persib last season and curiously failed to beat them even though they finished at opposite ends of the group, with the table-topping Sailors drawing 1-1 away and throwing away a two-goal lead in a 3-2 home loss to the Indonesians.
Back in the 2023-24 campaign, the Sailors faced off against Bangkok United in the top tier of Asian football -- now known as the AFC Champions League Elite -- and suffered defeats in both their meetings.
The Sailors captured the imagination last term when they produced their remarkable charge to the ACL Two final, seeing off the likes of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sydney FC along the way before falling in heartbreaking fashion to Sharjah in the decider.
Having already stated their target to emulate the feat, the Sailors should be satisfied with the hand they have been dealt given some of the East region's stronger sides on paper in J1 League giants Gamba Osaka, South Korea's Pohang Steelers and the Chinese Super League's Beijing Guoan.
"It was an extraordinary achievement to reach the final, and I have to acknowledge that we got there with a bit of luck as well as the hard work from everyone in the team," said Sailors coach Aleksandar Ranković reflected.
"It wrote us into the history books, but it's not realistic to expect that every season.
"For sure, our results in the ACL Two last season mean a few teams will take us more seriously, but we're still considered underdogs at the Asian level.
"There are still many steps for us to take to reach the level of the top teams in the region. For us, the focus is on our own journey and taking a few steps forward each season at the continental level.
"The primary target remains getting past the group stage, and we'll talk about other objectives once we get there."
The draw has not been as kind to fellow Singaporean outfit Tampines Rovers, who find themselves in Group H with Pohang, Thai powerhouses BG Pathum United and Philippines' Kaya FC-Iloilo.
While it has been four years since BGPU were last champions of Thailand, they still boast a formidable outfit and have also bolstered their attack with the signing of Tomoyuki Doi -- who was the top scorer in the SPL last season with Geylang International following an incredible 44-goal campaign.
Pohang will be the favourites to win Group H considering they were playing in the ACL Elite just last season and have several South Korea internationals to call upon, including defender Park Seung-Wook, forward Lee Ho-Jae and even former captain Ki Sung-Yueng -- a recent arrival from FC Seoul.
Gamba, who will be one of the favourites given the J1 League's status as one of Asia's leading domestic competitions, are in Group F alongside Thép Xanh Nam Định (Vietnam), Ratchaburi (Thailand) and Eastern (Hong Kong).
Group A
Al Wasl (United Arab Emirates)
Esteghlal (Iran)
Al Muharraq (Bahrain)
Al Wehdat (Jordan)
Group B
Al Ahli (Qatar)
Andijon (Uzbekistan)
Arkadag (Turkmenistan)
Al Khaldiya (Bahrain)
Group C
Sepahan (Iran)
Al Hussein (Jordan)
Mohun Bagan SG (India)
Ahal (Turkmenistan)
Group D
Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia)
Al Zawraa (Iraq)
Istiklol (Tajikistan)
Goa (India)
Group E
Beijing Guoan (China)
Macarthur FC (Australia)
Tai Po (Hong Kong)
Công An Hà Nội (Vietnam)
Group F
Gamba Osaka (Japan)
Thép Xanh Nam Định (Vietnam)
Ratchaburi (Thailand)
Eastern (Hong Kong)
Group G
Bangkok United (Thailand)
Selangor (Malaysia)
Lion City Sailors (Singapore)
Persib Bandung (Indonesia)
Group H
Pohang Steelers (South Korea)
BG Pathum United (Thailand)
Kaya FC-Iloilo (Philippines)
Tampines Rovers (Singapore)