Brazilians Abroad: Diego Costa Justifying His Call Up?

It's been a relatively quiet week for Brazilians abroad this week, with many of the usual contributors rested or not at their usual levels on this occasion.

However, that is far from saying that there is nothing to discuss, with several Brazilians prompting major talking points with their displays over the weekend.

Latest addition to the Brazil national team setup Diego Costa takes centre-stage on this occasion, but there is a supporting cast of fine individual players also making their mark away from their homeland.

Let's, then, take a look at some of the biggest Brazil-related stories of the weekend.

Diego Costa Scores Atletico Brace

It's been quite a season for Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa, making headlines for both his top performances and occasionally unsavoury behaviour on the pitch in Spain.

This weekend, though, was a good one for the 24-year-old attacker as he scored his fifth and sixth league goals of the campaign to help his side to a 2-0 away win at Osasuna.

Costa has plenty of reason to celebrate at the moment, given his selection for Brazil's upcoming friendly encounters with Russia and Italy. However, it is being reported that he may have picked up an ankle injury that will deny him the chance of an international debut. (Football Espana)

Whether or not that turns out to be the case remains to be seen. What is true, though, is that the forward would be arriving to join the squad while in-form and enjoying the best moment of his career to date.

Jonas on Target Once More for Valencia

Brazil striker Jonas may have endured a slow start to the 2012-13 season, but he has well and truly come to life in recent weeks to take his season tally to 14 goals across all competitions.

This weekend's effort, his side's third goal in a 3-0 victory over Real Betis, was a fifth in five games for the former Grêmio man as he continues to battle for a return to the Selecao.

On this occasion, the Brazilian scored in the final minute of the La Liga clash, curling home a low effort following Tino Costa's corner.

His return to form has played a big role in Valencia's recent surge up the La Liga table towards the Champions League places, with Los Ches currently lying in fifth position, two points behind Real Sociedad.

Coutinho on Target in Liverpool Defeat

Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho continued his fine start to life in a Reds shirt this weekend as he scored a second Premier League goal in the defeat to Southampton.

It was a disappointing afternoon in general for Liverpool supporters, ending a run of four consecutive victories for Brendan Rodgers' side. Coutinho, though, was once more a bright point.

When the 20-year-old joined from Inter Milan in January, it was not known what to expect from the Vasco da Gama academy graduate. However, he has quickly settled on Merseyside and is playing an important role for his new side.

He should, though, have had two goals to his name, as he missed a simple one-on-one opportunity just minutes prior to his eventual goal. Had he scored both, Liverpool would have levelled at 2-2.

Anderson's Man Utd Future Questioned

Brazilian central midfielder Anderson continues to be a divisive supporter among his club's supporters, with his role in Manchester United's unconvincing 1-0 victory over Reading once more the focus of great debate.

His statistics, as provided by WhoScored, are not bad by any means. He was generally accurate with his passing (93%), was one of the most involved of the United players and created chances for his side.

The feeling was, though, that the Brazilian was not adding energy to the midfield and when combined with the ageing Ryan Giggs, it left Manchester United too slow in the centre of the park.

It is being reported that the player could leave Old Trafford this summer, with first-team opportunities currently limited. (Daily Mail) It might prove to be the most beneficial outcome for a talented player who seems to be stalling with the Red Devils.

Elkeson Leads Scorers in China

After his debut in the Chinese Super Cup, Guangzhou Evergrande's newest signing Elkeson was savaged by the local media for what was considered a poor display.

Two weeks later, though, and he is a hero, with five goals to his name in his opening two league games of the season.

After a brace on his league debut last week, with a goal off either foot, Elkeson went one better with a perfect hat-trick (one left-foot, one right-foot, one header) to defeat last year's runner-up Jiangsu Sainty 3-0 in the Tianhe Stadium.

His nearest opposition in the race to become Super League top scorer is currently Liaoning's Edu, who has three goals in his first two games since joining from Schalke this January.

Qingdao's Bruno Meneghel then lies joint third in the top scorer charts with two in two games for Qingdao, tied with Yakubu, Gao Di and Zvjezdan Misimovic.