Elkeson a big name in Asian soccer

In little over half a season, Brazilian striker Elkeson has risen from relative obscurity to become one of the most talked about players in Asian soccer, eclipsing many of his higher-profile Guangzhou Evergrande teammates.

The former Cruzeiro forward was not included in Guangzhou's squad for the group stages of the AFC Champions League but his form in the Chinese Super League, where he has scored 21 times this season, saw him included for the latter stages at the expense of Paraguayan World Cup star and former Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios.

Elkeson, 24, scored Guangzhou's opener against Lekhwiya in the first leg as Marcello Lippi's side notched up a 2-0 win at home but he knows Wednesday's second leg in Doha will be no stroll in the park.

"We were happy with the performance in the first leg, which was a very important match," he said. "This game will cause us problems, but we will do our best to qualify for the semi-finals.

"We played really well in the first game and now we want to achieve another one of our goals and qualify for the semi-finals."

Guangzhou were eliminated at this stage last season in what was their debut participation in the AFC Champions League as Lippi's side slipped up against two-time winners Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.