EUROPA LEAGUE

Two of the most experinced coaches see their teams in action in Thursday's Round 2 games.

Motherwell manager Craig Brown declared his side ready to face Icelandic side, Breidablik despite failing to impress as they scraped a 2-1 win over Second Division outfit Ayr United in their final warm-up game on Saturday.

"The performance wasn't great, but the fitness levels are good," Brown told his club website.

'We don't want to use the fact they have already started their season as an excuse. The match was something of a fitness exercise and, from that point of view, it was satisfactory," said Brown, who took some of the blame for the display in their third warm-up win in a row.

"My instruction was avoid challenges which risked two things: a yellow card, or an injury.

"I said to the players: 'don't get into risky tackles because all that matters is next week'.

"Perhaps that is a reason for that display, because we certainly did not look like a Premier Division team against a team from the Second Division."

In contrast, Breidablik beat Stjarnan 4-0 on Friday to record their fourth straight win of the season in the Icelandic Premier League, which they lead on goal difference from IBV Vestmannaeyjar after 11 games.

Left-back Stevie Hammell suffered a heavy knock in the first half and was replaced with Jonathan Page, but Brown expects him to be fit for the second qualifying round for the Europa League.

"Stevie took a heavy knock in the groin," he said. "It was a knee in the groin. It's not a strain, it's a bruise, so it should be okay."

The Icelandic part-timers may ahve a fitness edge but it would be a big shock if Motherwell lose. At a best priced 1/3 they look avoidable as a bet though. There is some value in Bet365's 6/5 about under 2.5 goals. Brown will be content to take a 1-0 or 2-0 lead to Iceland in a week's time

If Nanne Bergstrand were not so softly-spoken, he would have plenty to brag about. The 54-year-old's Helsingborgs IF side eliminated FC Internazionale Milano to qualify for the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League group stage, while his success in giving Kalmar FF their first Swedish league title in 2008 will soon see him have a street in the Swedish city named in his honour.

For now, though, his attentions are firmly fixed on tonight's second qualifying round date with Maldovian minnows, FA Dacia.

"In Europe you face different types of football, which makes it a bigger tactical challenge," Bergstrand told his own website. "A new experience for us, a Moldovan side, but we've scouted them and seen they have several good players."

The longest-serving coach in the Swedish First Division, having returned to Kalmar in 2003 following a two-season stint at the helm in the late 1990s, Bergstrand has stabilised the club during his second spell in charge. "Since 2004 we haven't finished below fifth place," he added. "Before, Kalmar used to get relegated as soon as they got up."

Their consistency in the league means Kalmar have been making frequent excursions into Europe in recent seasons, losing to Feyenoord in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round and succumbing to Debreceni VSC in last term's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. "We've got more experience now," said Bergstrand. "Several of the players were involved in both of those European campaigns. We all feel that we've learned from that experience."

While his players may be gradually finding their feet in Europe, Bergstrand's experience stretches back far further; in 2000 he took Helsinborg into the UEFA Champions League group stage after a 1-0 third qualifying round win against Inter.

The soon-to-be-opened 'Nanne Bergstrand Street' will be adjacent to the club's new stadium, due for completion next year, but its namesake is keen to brush off such recognition and focus on the task at hand. "That's something I won't really come to terms with until long after I've quit football," he said. "Streets are not normally named after living people. It's an honour, but at the same time I know you're only as good as your last match."

As a betting proposition the comparative differences between Sweden and Moldovia and Scotland and Iceland are even more exagerrated, and Kalmar might be a bit of value even at 4/11 with Hills and the small bits of 4/9 on Betfair are worth stealing. Unlike the Icelandic's the under dogs have no fitness advantage.

Published 14-07-2010

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