LISBON (Basketball Champions League) - Sport Lisboa Benfica's new signing Carlos Morais might have never played in European clubs competition before, but that hasn’t prevented the Angolan shooting guard from dreaming big of this week's two-leg qualifier against Italian side Pallacanestro Varese.

As the Portuguese giant chase a place in the inaugural Basketball Champions League Regular Season, the former AfroBasket MVP feels it’s about time to put Benfica on the European basketball map again.

"I believe the team is prepared to do everything in our power to come up with a win because this club deserves to be among the best teams in Europe." - Morais 

"It's going to be a tough game for either side but I think we have the potential to try to win the game," he said.

For local fans, Tuesday's first-leg qualifier for the Basketball Champions League Regular Season could bring back memories from the mid-1990s when Benfica became a hard team to beat at home in the European Champions Cup, which was Europe’s top club competition at the time.

Panathinaikos, CSKA, Bologna and Partizan Belgrade are still remembered locally as the teams that needed extra effort to overcome a minnow European side Benfica.

But it is Benfica’s 112-95 win over favourite Partizan Belgrade in 1995, in which Benfica's current head Carlos Lisboa established a club record 45 points in European competitions, that resonates among Benfica fans and players.

"We are in a situation that we must start this qualifier with a win because the goal is to move on to the Group Phase," Morais explained. "This club has done a lot in past European competitions and we are prepared to do everything in our power to prove the value of this big club."

In order to overcome Pallacanestro Varese, Benfica brought in a number of players including Morais, Derek Raivio, Damian Hollis, Raven Barber and Switzerland international Nicolas dos Santos.

Asked about Benfica's game plan to see off a well equipped Varese side, Morais admitted that "They are an athletic team with a lot of European experience," but Lisboa and his coaching staff "have done a good job in preparing the team to face any of possible adversity in the series. I have faced Christian Ayenga a few times during the offseason. He is very athletic and we have to be able to stop near the basket."

Morais is known for his successful career with former African champions Angola. But, how does he feel about his new European experience?

"It's not a big deal to me because I have played at two World Cups (2006 and 2010), Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (2012 and 2016), and the Olympics (2008). So I think I have adjusted well, and I feel ready to put my team in a successful position," the 30-year-old noted. "I can bring my aggressiveness at both ends of the floor. But this is not all about Carlos Morais. We are an ambitious team, and  I believe the team is prepared to do everything in our power to come up with a win because this club deserves to be among the best teams in Europe."

While the winner of the two-leg series will advance to the Basketball Champions League Regular Season, the loser will then participate in the FIBA Europe Cup.