The tournament has again showcased a host of stars, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane still in contention to add an AFC Champions League title to the UEFA Champions League titles they have won previously, while plenty of other big-name players have also turned on the style.

With the first legs of the quarter-finals set to take place between March 4-6, the-AFC.com highlights eight players who could be the difference makers for their respective sides.

Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad

Having joined Al Ittihad from Real Madrid as reigning Ballon d’Or holder, Karim Benzema’s experience will be vital if the two-time champions can overcome their domestic rivals Al Hilal to advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 2012.

The Al Ittihad captain is a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, and at the age of 36, he has been playing an auxiliary role to Abderrazaq Hamdallah in attack, helping connect midfield and attack.

In three AFC Champions League starts so far, he has an assist to his name and has four shots on target, the third highest in the team. Domestically, Benzema has nine goals to his name, second only to Hamdallah (15) among Al Ittihad players.

Lee Dong-jun – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

After an injury-filled stint in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin, Lee Dong-jun returned home to sign for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last year, establishing himself as a key member of the squad. The 27-year-old now has the chance to knock his former side Ulsan Hyundai out of the tournament when they face off in the quarter-finals.

Lee, who developed a reputation as a skilled dribbler with pace to burn during his time at Busan IPark and Ulsan, bagged a double and an assist as Jeonbuk edged group winners Bangkok United 3-2 in their final group game to book their spot in the knockout stages. He then contributed another assist against Pohang Steelers in the previous round and now has his sights set on his former club.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Al Hilal

One of the most in-demand midfielders in European football over the past few years, the Serbian midfielder left Serie A side Lazio for Al Hilal last summer to form part of a formidable partnership with Ruben Neves in the middle of the park and extending a telepathic understanding with his international teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic to club level.

Playing an important role both in defence and attack, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has already scored nine goals in the Saudi Pro League for his club, and against familiar foes Al Ittihad, he will be looking to carry that form into the continental competition, having scored once from four appearances.

Joo Min-kyu – Ulsan Hyundai

“I am still hungry and a man with big dreams,” said Joo Min-kyu in December after winning the top scorer award for the second time in three K League 1 seasons. Speaking back then, the 33-year-old striker had at the top of his agenda the dream of winning the AFC Champions League – a competition in which he had only netted once previously despite being prolific in Korea Republic’s top flight for the past three campaigns.

Despite scoring 17 league goals on his return to Ulsan Hyundai last season, Joo’s involvement was limited to three substitute appearances in the group stage of the continental tournament. However, having scored twice in his first start in a 3-0 win against Ventforet Kofu in the last 16 first leg and followed it up with a late winner in the return meeting, the striker will be brimming with confidence heading into the last eight.

Anderson Talisca – Al Nassr

A veteran of Asian football with six years of experience in the continent under his belt, Anderson Talisca scored goals for fun at Guangzhou FC before moving West and doing the same for Al Nassr where his tally for the season currently sits at six AFC Champions League goals and 16 in the Saudi Pro League.

And while the 30-year-old did not score in the Round-of-16 double header against Al Fayha, he goes into the quarter-finals in rich scoring form, having netted a hat-trick in Al Nassr’s most recent domestic outing, a 4-4 draw against Al Hazm.

Valeri Qazaishvili – Shandong Taishan

After bagging two assists for Ulsan Hyundai in the group stage, Valeri Qazaishvili has sustained his good form after a January transfer to Shandong Taishan, for whom he claimed a couple more assists in a 4-2 win against Kawasaki Frontale in the Round of 16 second leg to send them through to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016.

‘Vako’, as he is affectionately known, displayed his creativity in stunning fashion when his outside-of-the-foot pass teed up Gao Zhunyi to score against Kawasaki in Japan. And with the tournament’s top scorer Cryzan playing just ahead of him, the Georgian’s brilliant vision and execution could well be key if Shandong are to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Kodjo Laba – Al Ain

Only two players in the AFC Champions League 2023/24 have more goal contributions than Al Ain’s Kodjo Laba.

The Togolese striker is his side’s leading scorer with six goals and also has an assist to his name this campaign. His equaliser in the second leg of the Round of 16 clash against FC Nasaf laid the foundation for a 2-1 Al Ain victory which brought them into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017.

So dominant has the 32-year-old been since joining Al Ain from Moroccan side RS Berkene in 2019 that he finished the last two domestic seasons as the UAE Pro League top scorer and is once again leading the charge domestically. In the AFC Champions League, he is already third for goal contributions in Al Ain history, behind Omar Abdulrahman and Asamoah Gyan.

Elber – Yokohama F. Marinos

With three goals and three assists, Elber has been one of the standout stars for Yokohama as the 2022 Japanese champions cleared the Round of 16 hurdle for the first time. The Brazilian winger netted in the first leg against Bangkok United in the previous round as he continues to ask questions of opposition defences with his pace in wide positions.

The 31-year-old, who is part of a potent attacking trio alongside Anderson Lopes and Yan Matheus, was also on target and contributed an assist as Yokohama defeated Shandong 3-0 to do a double over the Chinese side in the group stage. Head coach Harry Kewell will hope Elber can have a similar impact when the two meet again with a place in the semi-finals at stake.