Mauricio Molina, a former Colombia international, is Seongnam's top scorer in this year's competition with seven goals, but head coach Shin Tae-yong is just as excited by the form of Song.
The 22-year-old, described as "blindingly fast" by captain Sasa Ognenovski, was a match winner against Gamba Osaka after coming on as a substitute in the round-of-16 clash and started both quarterfinal legs against Suwon Bluewings.
Song was back on the bench in both semifinal legs last month, but could start in the final after shining in last Sunday's 2-2 draw at former club Gyeongnam in the K-League, as Seongnam played with 10 men after the 21st minute.
"He's very fast and playing really well at the moment," said Shin, who watched the speedster score two goals in Gyeongnam's 4-1 win over Ilhwa last October.
"Song was our best player in our last match. He's in prime condition and probably in the best physical shape of all our players." With target man Dzenan Radoncic and experienced holding midfielder Cheon Kwang-jin suspended, Shin has had to rearrange his starting line-up as he seeks to find a way through a Zobahan defense that have kept seven clean sheets in 11 AFC Champions League games.
After playing 4-4-2 for most of the year, Shin has suggested he may use the 4-3-3 formation he employed in the second leg of the semifinal against Al Shabab, when Kim Sung-hwan was moved to a defensive midfield position and Ko Jae-sung took his place at right back.
Molina and Song are likely to start left and right of striker Cho Dong-geon, with Kim Cheol-ho - who played in the 2004 final - and Jo Jae-cheol playing just in front of Kim Sung-hwan in midfield. Kim Tae-yoon is set to play left back in place of Hong Chul, who's competing in the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Shin has highlighted Iran striker Mohammad Khalatbari and Brazilian Igor Castro as Zobahan's key players and the livewire pair could make it a long night for Seongnam's center backs, captain Sasa Ognenovski and Cho Byung-kuk.
With set pieces likely to prove crucial, the 1.95-meter Ognenovski is set to go head to head with Zobahan's 1.90-meter center back Farshid Talebi, a fellow AFC Player of the Year candidate.
Shin is confident his captain, who was called up by Australia this week, will rise to the occasion as he seeks to make amends for his loss in the 2008 final while with Adelaide United.
"Sasa's a really good player. He's big and a strong guy, but he's also mentally very strong. I love this type of player," Shin said.
"He's a great talker and motivator, one of those players who's fully focused for every minute of every game. We'll need his experience in the final, especially without Cheon Kwang-jin and Radoncic." Zobahan currently lead the Iran Pro League and Mansour Ebrahimzadeh's men are bidding to better fellow Esfahan club Sepahan, who lost to Urawa Reds in the 2007 final when Ebrahimzadeh was assistant coach.
"We're confident we can win," Ebrahimzadeh said. "Seongnam are a clever team and tough, and Molina and Cho Dong-geon are important players for them. However, we have strategies to win." Zobahan have never won their domestic league, but looked set to win the 2008-09 campaign in Ebrahimzadeh's first season in charge before losing their final match and conceding the title on goal difference. They finished runners-up again earlier this year.
Khalatbari and Castro each have four goals in this year's competition, while former Iran forward Mahdi Rajabzadeh has five, including four for Mes Kerman in the group stage before his summer transfer.
The AFC Champions League winners will compete in next month's FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, where they'll face the winners of the tie between hosts Al Wahda and OFC champions Hekari United for the chance to play Inter Milan in the semifinals.
Shin was part of the Ilhwa side that won the former Asian Club Championship in December 1995, beating Al Nassr 1-0 in the final in Riyadh.
The two-time K-League MVP, who won 15 trophies with the club from 1992 through 2004 including six league titles, is now determined that his charges seize their opportunity in the one-leg final.
"We had the chance to win the Asian Club Championship in 1995 and we took it," Shin, 40, said ahead of the clash at the National Stadium, where he played for Korea Republic against Japan in 1997.
"I've told my players that playing in the AFC Champions League final can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they must concentrate and take the title." Shin played 401 times, scored 99 goals and supplied 68 assists - all club records - as Ilhwa became Korea's most successful club. The attacking midfielder was named K-League MVP in 1995 and 2001, was the league's top scorer in 1996 and won over 20 caps for Korea Republic.
However, it was not all glory. After winning the Asian Super Cup and Afro-Asian Club Championship in 1996, Ilhwa were denied a second straight Asian Club Championship in March 1997 after losing to K-League rivals Pohang Steelers 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur following an extra-time penalty that Shin disputed at the time.
Shin also remains haunted by Seongnam's previous appearance in the AFC Champions League final in 2004, when the then 34-year-old was on the bench in both legs as Cha Kyung-bok's side beat Al-Ittihad 3-1 in Riyadh before collapsing to a 5-0 home defeat.
"I have bad memories of this, because of the loss and because I did not play," said Shin, whose assistant coach Kim Do-hoon was the captain for the final.
In his first season as boss, Shin led his men to the finals of the FA Cup, which they lost on penalties to Suwon, and the K-League playoffs, which they lost to Jeonbuk Motors over two legs.
In Tokyo on Saturday, the Seongnam legend is looking to make it third time lucky.
"Losing in the final of the FA Cup and the K-League playoffs last year actually taught me a lot of lessons, so now it's time for myself and the team to step up and win."
