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.
