Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC are set to open their 2017 AFC Champions League campaign against Hong Kong's Eastern FC at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou on Wednesday.

Guangzhou Evergrande and Eastern are in Group G of Asia's premier club continental tournament with South Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Japan's Kawasaki Frontale.

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The Southern China Tigers qualified for the group stage of the competition after winning the Chinese top-flight trophy for the sixth consecutive time last season.

Head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's side has won two of the last four AFC Champions League titles, winning in 2013 and 2015. But the team was eliminated in the group stage in 2016 after placing third behind Australia's Sydney FC and Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds.

A crucial draw and loss against the Red Diamonds in the middle round of last year's group stage spelled doom for Guangzhou in their bid to win back-to-back continental trophies.

Guangzhou won all three domestic titles last season, including the CSL, the Chinese Super Cup, and the Chinese FA Cup, but came short in the Champions League. This time, though, the World Cup-winning manager wants to win a "quadruple."

"At the moment, what is our target for the season? The championship, every year all the way through to 2020," said club owner Xu Jiayin. "This year, our target is to win four titles: the Asian Champions League, the Chinese Super League, Chinese FA Cup, and Chinese Super Cup."

Evergrande currently boasts of four foreign players, namely Colombian striker Jackson Martinez and Brazilians Paulinho, Ricardo Goulart, and Alan Carvalho.

Meanwhile, Eastern qualified for the tournament after winning the 2015-2016 Hong Kong Premier League title. The team is the first Hong Kong football club to participate in the Champions League's group stage.

The team is managed by Chan Yuen-ting and has six foreign players, namely Australian defender Josh Mitchell, Spanish forward Manolo Bleda, Croatian midfielder Miroslav Saric, and Brazilians Diego Eli, Michel Lugo, and Giovane.

TagsAFC Champions League, AFC Champions League 2017, 2017 AFC Champions League group stage, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC, Eastern FC