Andre Villas-Boas hopes his team can perform to their potential as Shanghai SIPG set their sights on securing a first-ever appearance in the final of the Asian Champions League when they take on Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday.
SIPG saw off fellow Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals to advance to the last four of the competition for the first time in their history and now renew hostilities with an Urawa side they faced in the group phase.
"I'm very happy that we have reached so far," said Villas-Boas, who tasted continental success when he won the Europa League with Porto in 2011. "We have had a very long season and defeated lots of opponents including Evergrande. These are all a positive influence on us.
"At this stage anything is possible. All teams now are extremely motivated to win and we hope for a good result tomorrow. We are so happy to see that at the moment the team is at a very good state and I hope to play at our true quality."
SIPG won the first meeting against Urawa in this year's Asian Champions League with a 3-2 victory in Shanghai, only to lose 1-0 in Japan as both sides advanced to the knockout phase of the competition.
Urawa host the first leg at the Saitama Stadium and have undergone a change of coach since the teams last met, with Mihailo Petrovic making way for Takafumi Hori after a poor run of form in the J-League under the Serbian coach.
"Before the pool stage we communicated and we hoped to meet again at the semifinals," Villas-Boas said of Petrovic. "Unfortunately, he now is not at the place anymore.
"However, I think the team will still have his tactical marks. I appreciate their tactics and their former head coach very much. This team has lots of advantages and they deserve to be here."
SIPG are still alive in three competitions, with Villas-Boas' side in the semifinals of the Chinese FA Cup and second in the Chinese Super League, having closed the gap to leaders Guangzhou to four points on Friday.
"Theoretically we are still in the running," he said. "We hope Evergrande can lose some points, though it won't be up to us. We will try our best anyway."