Biggest Hibs Euro concern revealed amid afternoon KO switch heat warning, altitude alert and scouting report
Easter Road side head to Kosovo for UEFA Conference League clash with dangerous opponents
Hibs are preparing for blistering heat and the all-out aggression of dangerous opposition as they kick off their UEFA Conference League campaign in Kosovo. But Easter Road boss David Gray insists his players will be fully prepared for both the footballing challenge and minor altitude effects as his team look to take another step up the European ladder – and one giant leap towards making history.
FC Malisheva’s decision to move the first leg of their second qualifying round tie to an afternoon kick-off on Thursday means the Scottish Premiership challengers, who came up just short of reaching European league/group stage football for the first time ever last season, will be facing on-field temperatures topping 30 degrees in Pristina. Gray is also wary of the fact that the capital of Kosovo is almost 2200 feet above sea level.
Having watched both legs of Malisheva’s surprise first-round win over much-fancied Albanian opposition FK Vllaznia, the Hibs boss knows his players will face a physical test against hosts who will press with intensity. With a third qualifying round tie against either Slovenian side Bravo or Shkendija from North Macedonia the prize for progression, Gray is adamant that his players will be prepared to cope with anything.
Hibs came close on Euro run last season
Revealing what sort of conditions his team should expect to face, he said: “I think at the moment it's about 30C, and we’re looking at an afternoon kick-off now. Obviously if it was at night it would be a wee bit cooler, so we're just having to make sure the players are aware of that.
“There's a wee bit of altitude probably as well with where it is, but as I say, that's not an excuse, the players will be ready for that. I'm looking forward to it, that's the most important thing.”
Asked why the Kosovans – forced to switch the tie from their home ground to the Stadium Fadil Vokrri in the capital - had moved the kick-off, something they also did for their 5-0 second-leg thrashing of Vllaznia last week, Gray admitted: “I'm not sure exactly. I know there was a lot of communication just now between delegates from both football clubs.
“It'll be where it is and when it is; we can't control that. We're certainly not going to have a massive input on it, we'll be playing wherever the game gets played, we'll be looking forward to it, because that's exactly where it needs to be and we'll be ready for that challenge.
“A real difficult test. Obviously you've got the heat, the travel, different sort of place to go and play, not something we've experienced as you would domestically.
“I've watched both legs. I thought Malisheva deserved to go through over the course of the two legs, so it will be a difficult challenge.
“But that's what European football is all about. The players are looking forward to it now, that's what all pre-season is being aimed towards, is to make sure the boys are as fit and strong as they can be.”
Ten-man Malisheva lost 2-1 to Vllaznia in Shkoder, only to completely turn the tie around with a 5-0 thrashing of their near neighbours on a scorching afternoon in Pristina. Gray says they carry some obvious threats.
“They were very intense in the second leg, fully deserved to win the game,” he revealed, adding: “I thought the way they pressed, they were very aggressive, they played with real intent.
“And were really clinical when they got their chances. Obviously the game stretched a little bit as well in the second half, once they went a couple of goals up.
“But we’re fully expecting a tough test. We need to make sure we're ready for it.
“The players will be. We've watched a lot of the games, we know what we're going to be facing, The players will be ready for that.”
Euro run a ‘reward’ for last season
Confident that his own team is in good shape after a tough pre-season, including Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Danish opponents Brondby, Gray added: “We’ve just demonstrated against a real good opposition that we're a very good side ourselves. So I’m really pleased - and looking forward to it now.
“Because this is the reward for last season, the chance to play in European football. The fans can start to look forward to it now, the players are certainly looking forward to it - and we're ready to go.”
Hibs pushed mighty Midtjylland all the way in the Europa League last season, only losing out in extra time to the Danes, before recording one of the best European away wins in recent history to knock Partizan Belgrade out of the Conference League. They then went all the way to extra time against Legia in Warsaw before bowing out just shy of the league phase.
Gray, asked if that experience will help his team as the prepare for the club’s first back-to-back European campaigns in half a century, said: “It certainly does, I think, for the players who have experienced it already. I always say all the time, those are the greatest nights to be involved in at the football club.
“The atmosphere here, the atmosphere away from home, the support we get, the connection that then comes with the players and the fans in the club. Last season, those were incredible nights to be involved in.
“And even the new players coming in, we're able to show the players this is what it's all about, this is what the opportunity is when you come to a football club like this. And it's here now, so it's very much about taking that opportunity.”