Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat isn't tackling the ACL in the richest vein of form, stuttering into the group stage following three straight losses. Ulsan Hyundai will be no easy pushovers who have qualified for their second consecutive ACL group stage. 

Melbourne Victory have left out Argentine midfielder Matias Sanchez from their Champions League squad and have chosen Leroy George, Kosta Barbarouses and Besart Berisha as their three permitted foreigners. 

ULSAN'S ACL PEDIGREE

Ulsan Hyundai qualified through the play-offs into last seasons campaign and were accompanied by Brisbane Roar in Group E. The Korean side did the double over their Australian counterparts, ripping John Aloisi's side to shreds 6-0 at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium before scraping away a 3-2 victory at Suncorp. 

Despite their positive performances, a 4-0 loss to Kashima and a stunning 0-0 draw at home to Thai giants Muangthong United saw them finish in third place and knocked out of the 2017 group stage. 

Their best performance ever in the continental competition was in 2012 where Ulsan defeated Al-Ahli 3-0 in the Champions League final to lift it for the first time in the clubs history. 

The club hasn't broken out of the group stage since their triumph in 2012 and this season qualified through the play-offs defeating Hong Kong side Kithcee FC on penalties. 

HEAVY HITTERS

Mislav Orsic 

The Croation youth international is set for his second season in Ulsan and has so far impressed with 19 contributions in 48 matches in all competitions. The 25-year old winger scored nine league goals last season as well as two goals in the Champions League which both came in Ulsan's 6-0 rout of Brisbane Roar. 

Orsic is a terrifying prospect to Victory's leaky defence. The prolific winger can ply his trade on either flank and will strike fear into either Jason Geria, Stefan Nigro or Leigh Broxham. 

Júnior Negão 

Ulsan Hyundai's latest signing is a hot prospect to take the Champions League by storm. Brazilian striker Júnior Negão had last season to accomodate his taste for Korean football with Daegu FC, however a damning leg injury sidelined the 31 year-old for nearly five months. 

Although upon his return, the K-League got to know what Negão was all about, scoring ten goals in the last 11 games of the season. A traditional Brazilian poacher.

Yeong-jae Lee 

The Korean central midfielder might be seen as a 'late bloomer'. At 22, Yeong-jae made his senior debut for Ulsan in the K-League and quickly became a first team regular under new coach Kim Do-Hoon. 

His first season was a success, playing in 39 matches and contributing to eight goals in all competitions, including an assist in the Champions League. Now 23, the Korean is quite a versatile player, being deployed in more than three different positions in midfield.

Mostly centrally, Yeong-jae alternated between deep, tempo setting midfield play and fast moving attacking play further up the field. Ulsan have a handy weapon to adapt to game situations against Melbourne with a player like Yeong-jae Lee. 

STYLE

Last season saw the arrival of new manager and South Korean footballing royalty Kim Do-Hoon. The 47-year old has a storied playing career with over 100 goals in nearly 200 matches as a forward in Korea, as well as 72 caps for his country and 30 goals. In his first season Do-Hoon led Ulsan back into the Champions League and into fourth place in the K-League. 

Do-Hoon has an extremely attacking philosophy, hence his emphasis on foreign attacking players. His strategy relies on wingers making incisions behind, or to bring the ball to the by-line to cut back for attackers queueing up in the box. 

However, this may come at the cost of poor defensive preparation. Last season's K-League saw Ulsan finish fourth despite having a goal difference of negative three. This is despite the signing of former Austria Vienna defender Richard Windbichler. 

STRENGTHS

Ulsan are extremely effective on the counter-attack with an abundance of live-wire weapons at Do-Hoon's disposal. The majority of Ulsan's goals in the Champions League came as a result of swift counter-attacking play launched in their own third from balls cleared out to the flanks for Orsic or Negão. 

This may be a hazard for Victory's slow midfielders in Carl Valeri and Leigh Broxham, who may suffer from tired legs in the latter stages of the match. 

WEAKNESSES 

Ulsan last season were extremely susceptible to set pieces, conceding a hatful in the last two Champions League group stages. A weak point seems to be free-kicks in and around the 18-yard box. 

Melbourne Victory have been relatively successful from set pieces this season and can look to take advantage of Ulsan's rustiness, as the side are in pre-season for the next few weeks. 

Melbourne Victory take on Ulsan Hyundai at AAMI Park on Tuesday night at 7:30PM AEDT.