After three wins and one draw from four Group E games, the Potters sit four points clear at the top of the table and need only one point to book their passage through to the last 32. However, Thursdy night's visit of Dynamo Kiev looks to be their golden opportunity, with both the Ukrainians and Besiktas still to face bottom side Maccabi Tel Aviv while the prospect of needing anything from a trip to the cauldron of Istanbul is not one that will appeal. The club's presence in Europe was a big reason for Upson choosing the Britannia Stadium after leaving West Ham this summer, but he knows there is plenty of work still to be done. The 32-year-old said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed the European games, they've been a big part of my season so far. "There's nothing like European evenings, especially in English football. I remember watching them as a kid. The atmosphere is just fantastic. "We really want to seal the qualification. It would be a great effort from us and it would take the pressure off us going into the final game. "In the game over there they showed the quality they have and dominated large periods of the game. We defended very well as a team, kept our shape and were quite a threat going forward. "It will be a very interesting game, whether or not their attitude will change being away from home. We've obviously got a responsibility being at home to take the game to them a little bit." The away trip to Kiev was the only match Stoke did not win, Tony Pulis' side denied by an injury-time equaliser from Ognjen Vukojevic. One familiar face in the home team that day was Andriy Shevchenko, who may have to settle for a place on the bench tonight. Upson said of the former Chelsea striker: "He's very alive. He looks pretty sharp at the moment, his movement's good. "The other guy who played up front (Andriy Yarmolenko), who's more of a target man, he was a good player and they've got some good wide players so there's problems coming at you from all angles." The Potters' European campaign has certainly had an impact on their Barclays Premier League form but they go into tonight's game in good spirits after ending a run of four straight league defeats with a 4-1 win over Blackburn at the weekend. "It's one of those periods you have to stick to what you believe in, work hard on the training pitch, which we have done, and the result came at the weekend," added defender Upson. "It's a great lift for everyone."
