Hibernian Prepares for Crucial Conference League Clash Against Legia Warsaw
Conference League: Legia Warsaw vs. Hibernian (Aggregate: 2-1)
Venue: Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw Date: Thursday, 28 August Time: 20:00 BST
Coverage: Listen to updates on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.
Hibernian's head coach, David Gray, has expressed confidence in his team's ability to compete in European football as they prepare for the decisive play-off match against Legia Warsaw. After trailing 2-1 from the first leg at Easter Road, a late goal from Josh Mulligan has kept Hibernian's hopes alive as they head into the second leg.
No Hibernian team has ever reached the group stage or league phase of a European competition. Gray remarked, "It’s a brilliant place to be as a football club, one game away, 90 minutes away, knowing that if you win, you will be playing in the group stage, which hasn’t been done before. That should be all the motivation the players need, to be honest."
Reflecting on the challenges faced, Gray noted, "When you look at the coefficients of the teams we have played against, it has been a tough draw, but that’s what the players want – to test themselves against the best. It’s all part of seeing if you can play at the next level. I think they’ve shown we can compete at this level. We fully deserve to still be in this tie after our performance in the first leg. It’s now just one 90-minute game, no excuses. We’ll ensure we’re fully prepared."
With the boost from Mulligan’s late strike in the previous match and additional preparation time due to the postponement of Hibernian’s weekend fixture, Gray is looking forward to the second leg. "I’m probably more excited about this leg than I was about the first, just because there’s still a lot of football to be played," he added. "Yes, I would have liked a different scoreline going into this match, but football is unpredictable, and goals change games. Given how we played, I believe there was a lot of positive takeaways from the first leg, and we need to carry that confidence forward. There are areas for improvement, but I’m sure they’ll also be looking to enhance their game – that’s always the challenge for a coach."
Team News
Gray has reported no new injury concerns, stating that his players are "fresher mentally" following the weekend's break due to their match against Falkirk being postponed. However, Legia will be without Japanese forward Ryoya Morishita, who joined Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee on Tuesday after coming on as a substitute in the first leg. Jean-Pierre Nsame is expected to retain his position ahead of Mileta Rajovic after scoring his fifth goal in European competition this season during the match in Edinburgh.