Love to conquer all in Lisbon

By Diogo Teixeira

While PFC CSKA Moskva's players may have felt that they were heading into enemy territory as they travelled to Lisbon to take on Sporting Clube de Portugal in tonight's UEFA Cup final, at least Brazilian striker Vágner Love had the comfort of being able to speak the language.

Portuguese presence
Having joined the Russian club from SE Palmeiras for a CSKA record fee of €8m, Vágner Love instantly became one of the most famous Portuguese speakers in Russia. He could leave an even more indelible mark in Russia's footballing history if he can help Valeri Gazzaev's side win at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Big occasion
"Every player dreams of scoring in a match like this," the 21-year-old, who has scored three UEFA Cup goals this season, told uefa.com. "I am no exception to that and I believe that I can do it. The team is on form, our expectations are very good. We are motivated and focused and I think CSKA can win this trophy."

Tempestuous spell
Vágner Love has had a tempestuous few months at CSKA. At the start of January he insisted he was returning to Brazil to join SC Corinthians, unhappy at being left out of the first team and with the way the cold weather in Russia was affecting his young son, Vágner Junior.

Staying on
Although that deal foundered, he insists that he is happy to have stayed in Russia. "I am a professional player, I like to play football, and I honour the club that I serve," he said. "I am very happy at CSKA and I will do everything that I can to help them to win this trophy."

Russian first
Winning the UEFA Cup would mark a massive achievement for CSKA as no Russian side has ever won a major European trophy, although in the days of the Soviet Union, Russian fans may have taken some pride in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success for Ukraine's FC Dynamo Kyiv and Georgia's FC Dinamo Tbilisi.

Away team
If CSKA are to break their duck at the Estádio José Alvalade, they will have to overcome an excellent Sporting side who have the sizeable advantage of playing in their own stadium before a crowd dominated by their own green-and-white shirted supporters.

Lisbon challenge
"You have an advantage when you are playing in front of your own crowd, with the stadium completely full," said Vágner Love. "That gives an extra motivation to the players. Sporting will have this but CSKA are playing well at the moment and it's a final so anything can happen."

'Fine tradition'
"Sporting are a great team, with a fine tradition in European competitions, and we know that we will face a lot difficulties. Since coming to Portugal on Saturday, we have been watching videos to see how they play. Above all, I know that they have excellent players."

Fellow countryman
Perhaps the best of an excellent crop of Sporting players is Vágner Love's fellow striker and countryman Liedson. "I don't know him personally, but I saw a lot of matches that Liedson played for Corinthians and [CR] Flamengo," said the CSKA striker. "He is a great player."

Brazilian star
Liedson may be the name on every Sporting fan's lips at the moment, but if all goes well, Vágner Love could be the biggest Brazilian star in Lisbon tonight.