Meet Luis Fernandes, editor of Vitoria Grande who has kindly answered the questions I put to him about Vitoria S.C, their fans and what they think of Pompey and the upcoming tie.
1) What was your initial reaction to the draw? Had Vitoria fans even heard of Portsmouth FC?
The initial reaction to the draw was a little bit of frustration, because I was hoping for a more "accessible" team. Everyone who enjoys football in Portugal knows Portsmouth, because the Premier League is one of the most spectacular championships in the world.
2) What do you think of the Portsmouth team? Are there any players who particularly worry you?
In the beginning I didn't know that Portsmouth had such a good team but since the draw I have been informed and seen some videos so I see now that you have a lot of good players.
The players who worry me most are naturally the most familiar, such as Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Lassana Diarra, Glen Johnson and Papa Bouba Diop. But I know in general that your squad is full of quality so it will be a tough test for Vitoria.
There are many Portuguese players in England so we see many English games. Portsmouth is known in Guimaraes mostly because of Pedro Mendes who is one of our idols.
3) Most Pompey fans know about FC Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon but know very little about Vitoria Guimaraes. How popular is Vitoria in Portugal compared to these clubs?
In Portugal, 90% of people who like football will support one of the "big three" clubs. The media, especially, is a major cause of the unbalance between these clubs and the rest of the league and so the championship in Portugal is only disputed by these three clubs.
However, Vitoria is a different case. Against all odds, we are a club with many supporters (even outside of Guimaraes) and except for Porto, Benfica and Sporting we are the biggest supported club in the country and we are considered to be the fourth biggest club in Portugal.
4) Are Guimaraes fans looking forward to the game? You must be gutted that you could be playing for Real Madrid if it wasn't for a Dutch linesman?
(Note: With FC Basel leading a Champions League qualifier 2-1, Guimaraes scored a perfectly good goal late on that was ruled out for offside by a dutch linesman. Guimaraes would have gone through on away goals if the goal stood but would have qualified for the Champions League automatically anyway if UEFA upheld the imposed European ban on FC Porto for match fixing.)
Yes, it is clear that we are anxious for the game but we know we have a very hard task. Our supporters are still very frustrated with everything that happened in Basel. We were already harmed in the first game in Guimaraes and we were back in Basel with the annulment of that goal.
Yet life continues and we cannot continue to look back. Vitoria S.C. has enough strength left to show that it is superior to the bastards who stole 5 million Euros from us.
5) What are Guimaraes fans like in general? Is there much of a hooligan element or will Pompey fans be welcomed to Guimaraes with open arms?
For your reception, you have nothing to fear. The "vitorianos" (Vitoria fans) are people who welcome other fans and this was proved in 2005 when 4,000 Bolton fans arrived in Guimaraes. It was a day of happiness in Guimaraes and it will be the same on Thursday, 2nd October too.
There are some violent fans like all clubs but fortunately this is just a minority.
6) What do Guimaraes fans think of Pedro Mendes?
Pedro Mendes is an idol of all Vitoria fans. He is a native of Guimaraes and a supporter of our club. His football surprised our country when he played in our colours and after he moved to Portsmouth, he continued to have a vast legion of fans.
When he celebrated the FA Cup victory with our scarf it was a very important moment for us. (Ed: That's an excellent spot there, something I never would have realised if it hadn't been highlighted. For the record, here's the proof:)
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7) What is the city of Guimaraes like? What are the main attractions and which pubs will accommodate Pompey fans before the game?
The city of Guimaraes is one of the most beautiful cities in our country and certainly has a lot of history. It was here that D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, began to conquer Spanish land and the Moors and founded what is now Portugal. He is known as "The Conqueror".
Guimaraes is a city with a historic center that is considered world heritage of humanity by UNESCO and has many unique monuments. As well as the "Guimaraes Castle" and the "Palace of the Dukes of Braganca" there are a whole range of places to visit.
In our historic center there are several pubs that will be to your liking. They have a very welcoming environment that is praised by thousands of tourists every day. You will love!
8) What is the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques like?
Our stadium was renovated for Euro 2004 and is one of the most beautiful in the country. With 30,000 seats it is equipped to satisfy the needs of everyone who attends and the stadium was named in honour the first king of Portugal.
It is the stadium with the highest attendance percentage in Portugal and is located right in the city centre.
9) Who are your best players and the ones Portsmouth should be most wary of?
Our team has many strengths and individual values but our best feature is our team spirit and unity. However, we have some players with great quality such as Sereno, Joao Alves, Desmarets, Fajardo and Roberto who scored the disallowed goal in Basel.
However, our team is not at full strength as we are missing five first team players and so we are uncertain how the team will cope at Fratton Park.
10) Describe your rivalry with Sporting Braga. How much do you hate them?
Personally I am a person who likes rivalries but never takes them to the extent of violence. The rivalries are funny but must not exceed certain limits.
It is true that I do not sympathise with Braga but I hate Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon more because these clubs dominate Portuguese football and prevent Vitoria and other teams challenging them which is bad for the competitiveness of our championship.
They use corruption off the field when they fail to achieve on the pitch and that destroys the efforts of all of the other clubs when they are trying to evolve. However, our games with Braga have been a fixture for many years and they are always full of excitement and enthusiasm.
11) Even though you finished third in the Portugues league last season, you are seen as the underdogs of this tie. How will you approach the game at Fratton Park? Are you likely to be cautious or will you go for the win?
Despite finishing third last season, Vitoria has a much lower budget than Portsmouth and so it is difficult to compete on an equal basis. Still, Vitoria are not a team that play anti-football and we will use all of our force over the two legs to try and win the game.
In the first game at Fratton Park we will be more cautious and try to earn a positive result so we can decide the tie at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques.
12) Finally, predict the score after both legs of the tie. Are you confident you can go through?
Although we have many players injured I believe we can go through to the group stages. At Fratton Park, perhaps we will draw or be defeated by one goal but we will dominate the game in Guimaraes and win passage to the next round.
Maybe it will be 1-1 at Fratton Park and we will win 1-0 at D. Afonso Henriques. I hope so!