This is the first time that Jeju have reached the knockout stage since making their ACL debut in 2011. This year, Jeju were the runners-up behind China's Jiansu Suning in Group H. Urawa finished atop Group F over China's Shanghai SIPG.

Jeju are also tasked with retaining the pride of the South Korean football league as they are the sole K League Classic club left in the knockout stage. The reigning domestic league champions FC Seoul, the Korea Football Association Cup winners Suwon Samsung Bluewings and the 2012 ACL title holders Ulsan Hyundai were all eliminated in the group stage.

The K League Classic clubs have combined for 11 continental titles, the most in Asia. 

Although the first leg will be played at home, Cho Sung-hwan's side should not feel so comfortable because their main field Jeju World Cup Stadium is not available for use because of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The 24-team men's youth football competition kicked off on Saturday and will run until June 11 in six local cities including Seogwipo on Jeju Island. On Wednesday, Jeju World Cup Stadium will host two Group C matches.

Due to the ongoing FIFA competition, Cho's team will be forced to play at Jeju Sports Complex -- a stadium located about 45 km north of Jeju World Cup Stadium. And since the venue lacks light towers, the match will kick off at 3 p.m., a time of the day when most people are still at work, meaning the contest will be a tough sell.

The match between Jeju and Urawa is likely to be a clash of offense versus offense.

Jeju, currently the leaders of the K League Classic, have scored 24 goals on 170 shots in 12 matches, most among the 12 first-division clubs. Their top scorer is Brazilian forward Marceloa Toscano with six goals, but 11 other players have also found the back of the net, an indication of Jeju's diverse and creative attacks.

Among them, Jeju midfielders Lee Chang-min and Hwang Il-su have been impressive enough to earn the national team selection for South Korea's FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar next month.

Both Lee and Hwang have been picked for the first time.

In the ACL, Jeju have scored 12 goals in six group matches, tops in Group H.

Urawa, however, also possess strong firepower. The 2007 ACL winners were tied for the lead in the group stage with 18 goals.

Urawa striker Kohrogi Shinzoh is currently the leading scorer in the J1 League with 11 goals, while their Brazilian forward Rafael da Silva have netted five goals in the ACL this season, tied for second with five other players.

The Japanese club last year failed to reach the quarterfinals after losing to FC Seoul. (Yonhap)