Without quite realising it, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and his players have taken a small stride closer to Europe's big stage by participating in their friendly match against Benfica here in Lisbon tomorrow night.
True, this is nothing more than a pre-season friendly in essence but when the players step into the cauldron that is the Estádio da Luz they will be competing for the Eusebio Cup and there will be a trophy at the end of it. There'll even be a Champions League style podium for Newcastle to collect the silverware from if they win it.
And while this may all sound a bit far-fetched, there is nothing wrong with developing a winning mentality and one day the Saudi-backed Toon owners want to see United regularly involved in trophy lifts. For all that, Benfica will want to see their own name etched on the trophy for the fourth time.
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The days of the great man Eusebio himself presenting the trophy are sadly no longer with us after his death plunged Portugal into a country of mourning in 2014. But a walk around their famous 65,000 capacity ground - with a huge metal sculpture of an eagle looming above it - gives a feel of being at a club steeped in tradition.
This isn't a new ground for Newcastle supporters, with many of them journeying to the venue in 2013 for the Europa League quarter-finals during the Alan Pardew era. That night was arguably the pinnacle for Alan Pardew and his players after finishing fifth in the Premier League and making the last eight of the competition but going no further.
Yet while this is only a pre-season friendly, there is still some big game vibes around the city with the game getting heavy coverage in Portugal's famous daily football newspaper A Bola and on Portuguese TV with pundits discussing the match's importance last night.
Speaking about the Eusebio Cup, the two-times European Cup winners say: "The Eusebio Cup will be held whenever possible, with opponents of international renown." It's a compliment in the bag already for Newcastle with the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Ajax, Inter Milan and Sao Paulo previously invited to take part.
But as Real Madrid, Milan and Arsenal have found out to their cost, Benfica don't want to be upstaged in their own backyard. On Sunday night Sporting Lisbon's seasonal curtain raiser - The Troféu Cinco Violinos - saw the old club of Sir Bobby Robson draw 1-1 with Sevilla, only to lose on penalties to the disappointment of their fanbase.
And for Benfica coach Roger Schmidt and his players they will be taking this game very seriously indeed. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach's team have their pre-season training camps behind them and are now preparing for the Champions League qualifiers against AEK Larnaca or Midtjylland with a morning headline reading today: "The most important week of pre-season for Benfica".
Benfica reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season and were only beaten by Liverpool. This will be Newcastle's toughest test of pre-season so far but there is a reward at the end of it if they are victorious in Portugal.
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