Led by the Costa brothers, Francisco and Martim Costa, who were the deciding factors when Denmark lost to Portugal in the European Championships in January, Sporting won the home tie against Aalborg when the two sides clashed in the group stages, but the Portuguese have plenty of respect for their Danish opponents before the first leg in Lisbon.
"Aalborg is extremely strong and has very clear ambitions. They're very strong in transition, with above-average physical power. We've played them before: In Denmark, it was difficult for us because we were always behind by four or five goals. Here (in Lisbon) it was different, we were down in the first half and then managed to turn it round in the second. We want to defend well and not let Aalborg get comfortable in the game", says Salvador Salvador.
Sporting CP was eliminated by HBC Nantes in the quarter-finals of last year's Champions League. Nantes won both legs of the tie to advance to the Final 4 with an aggregate score of 60–57, but Salvador emphasizes that the Portuguese have learned from that experience.
"Last year, we were very disappointed because we finished second in the group stage. We had high hopes of going through, which didn't happen. This year, we're more mature, more experienced. We have to know how to play the first game at home, but the tie will be decided in Denmark."
Sporting coach Ricardo Costa stressed already on Monday that a deciding factor in the tie will be if his players can control their emotions and play without thinking too much about the circumstances and the result tonight.
"Of course it's a dream (to reach the Final 4), but I'd say we have to play with as little feeling as possible. Playing with too much feeling can punish our thinking and our actions, so the most important thing is to do what we've been doing and not give it all that meaning. It's an audacious goal, but we know we can do it."
The two sides clash in Lisbon on Wednesday evening at 18.45 CET