Then the Uzbek upstarts and the much revered Al Ittihad, two-time winners of the continental silverware, were thrown together in one of the toughest groups seen in the ACL in recent times alongside 2007 runners-up Sepahan and Syria’s Al Ittihad.

Al Ittihad, their pride mauled by two back-to-back defeats to Sepahan, travelled to Tashkent for the fifth round match in a desperate bid to keep their qualification hopes for the elimination stage alive.

But Bunyodkor, then going by the name of Kuruvchi, pumped in two first half goals at the MHSK Stadium through Anvar Soliev and Server Djeparov, slamming the door on Al Ittihad’s wafer-thin hopes.

The shock win placed Bunyodkor on the verge of greatness with a point against Sepahan in the next match enough to propel them to the quarter-finals in their very first attempt.

But Al Ittihad of Syria edged Sepahan in the other group game later in the day to help Bunyodkor’s cause.

Today, the tables are turned. Bunyodkor have seen their reputation battered by the Iranian whirlwind Zobahan, who are proving to be the find of this ACL, in two straight matches.

And, in Jeddah, Al Ittihad’s vengeance is straining at the leash to break loose upon Bunyodkor, who picked up the first round off their rivals by a convincing 3-0 margin.

Should Bunyodkor lose at the formidable Al Ittihad citadel of the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, their two-edition record of unfailingly making it beyond the group stage will come to a screeching halt. The additional effect would be of guaranteeing a spot for Al Ittihad in the next phase.

However, if the Uzbeks earn a draw, which looks highly improbable going by the way Al Ittihad have improved, then they would have ensured themselves the faintest of chances.

Either way, a humdinger awaits fans tomorrow in Jeddah.