Hibs Euro rivals chasing 'greatest achievement' amid 'always attack' vow from five-goal Conference League side
Malisheva ready to host Easter Road side in sweltering Pristina
They’ve already made history. And they did it in some style. Now FC Malisheva boss Thomas Brdaric is adamant that his plucky underdogs have exactly what it takes to send Hibs spinning out of Europe.
The Kosovans, decanted to their temporary home of the Fadil Vokkri Stadium in Pristina for tomorrow afternoon’s UEFA Conference League clash with David Gray’s men, reached the second qualifying round for the first time ever by knocking Albanian rivals FK Vllaznia. After a narrow 2-1 loss just over the border, they absolutely battered their much-fancied opponents 5-0 in the second leg at Kosovo’s natural stadium.
Very much a provincial club, their own grown nowhere near UEFA requirements, Malisheva are bursting with ambition. And gaffer Brdaric strikes a note of both optimism and realism as he chases a victory for the ages.
Speaking earlier this afternoon, the former Germany striker admitted: “Beating Hibs would be one of the greatest achievements for our club. We made history passing the first round, which is special for Malisheva.
“This a small club but it’s a club with a lot of life. The people here are hungry for success and to be facing these challenges.
“Do we believe we can qualify? That’s why we are here, because we believe. We’re not here just for fun, we want to pass this round too.”
As you’d expect from a coach who saw his team hit the net five times in their last outing, Brdaric is adamant that his team will be on the front foot from the start for an afternoon kick-off likely to be played in testing conditions, declaring: “We will attack, we attack all the time. Even when we want to defend we do it with attacking players, our strikers are our first defenders.
“We are prepared for this game, we have looked at Hibs previous games - against Brondby and also last season. Last season is finished now, it’s a new constellation for Hibs so what happens tomorrow is what’s decisive.
“We have worked hard to be in this situation, we got past Vllaznia in two tough matches. Can we score as many goals? Lets see how Hibs defence is.
“It will be a different chapter, a different challenge and it’s great for us to play a team like Hibs. I love Scottish football, I have followed it since I was small.
“Everyone knows Celtic and Rangers, the biggest clubs, then after that Hibs and Hearts are also two of the biggest clubs. Now it’s time to be focused on these two matches.”
Ready for physical battle
Brdaric, familiar with compatriot Felix Passlack from watching Bundesliga coverage, added: “Hibs will be physically strong, they have very fast players and their market values are high. They play with pace, they win a lot of second balls and run at you from deep.
“They are a very strong team, they have a lot of good individuals but are strong as a team also. But we are prepared, we will face them in a professional way.
“We are aware this is the first match so we have to be diligent for the next game too, it’s two results if you want to get through. We are very motivated, the atmosphere will be good and it’s an honour to work for this club in Europe. It’s a pleasure for us to face a team like Hibs.”