Now CSKA are gearing up to compete for the much-coveted trophy with Sporting, in a May 18 final at Lisbon's Jose Alvalade stadium. The Portuguese club lost yesterday's dramatic return leg against the Dutch AZ, 2-3, but the second, crucial goal they scored in the last seconds (!) of overtime, placed them ahead of the other teams in their group on aggregate.
Psychologically, it will perhaps be easier for CSKA to play the Portuguese than it would have been to play the Dutch. Sure, Sporting will be enjoying all the benefits of a home-turf match, including massive fan support. Nevertheless, with the expectations that high, the Portuguese will be under enormous pressure and whether they will be able to withstand it is yet to be seen.
And then again, this won't be CSKA's first match in Portugal this season. Earlier, they played a Champions League match in Porto, which ended in a zero draw, and then took on Benfica in Lisbon, in an UEFA Cup match tied 1-1. They now know first hand just how expressive local fans can be.
In the UEFA Cup final, draw will not be an option, of course. So CSKA will just need to convince themselves that if they have been able to make it into the finals without losing a single game, overcoming Sporting to clinch the championship isn't too high an ambition for them to achieve.
