Hibernian could seal European league phase football for the first time in their history as they host KAA Gent in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League Play-offs tomorrow night.
David Gray’s side earned a 0-0 draw in Belgium last week, setting up a winner-takes-all clash in Edinburgh with European football until December on the line.
Despite a draw on the road being perceived as a positive result, it could’ve been better for Hibs with Owen Elding missing a first-half penalty. Hibs could be without the Irishman as David Gray alluded to an injury, he said: “We have had a couple of niggles from the game that maybe we didn’t quite see at the time. A couple have missed a bit of training this week. Owen Elding missed a bit of training this week. We’ll just see how he goes between now and Thursday. We’ll give him every chance as you’d expect but he’s definitely picked up something in the game. We’ll just see if he comes through. Apart from that though, everybody else seems to be going in the right direction, the only definite one out is Rocky Bushiri, he’s a long-term injury.”
Hibs made it to the same stage of the competition last season before crashing out in dramatic fashion to Legia Warsaw in Poland, but their position heading into the second leg is greater this time. Speaking about his side’s chances in a pre-match press conference, David Gray said: “I think a lot’s been made of it in the last week and it’s purely because we’ve given ourselves that opportunity. Because it is leg two now, because we went over there and gave such a good account of ourselves against a real good opponent, and all you can ask is for the tie to still be alive coming back to Easter Road. We’ve certainly done that.
“The players have earned the right to go and have a real go and it is that cup final mentality and attitude going into the game. We need to try and use the home advantage to our advantage I think, with that. Because very rarely do you have a cup final sort of atmosphere at home, in your own stadium, so I think the players have certainly earned the right to go and do it. We should all be looking forward to it. This is one of the biggest games the club have had since I’ve been here in terms of what’s at stake for the football club, the rewards and the benefits that the players, the club and the ownership deserve off the back of what we’ve been doing for the last couple of seasons.
“I think that since I’ve been at the club, I speak about it all the time, you want to play at the highest level possible. It is a big club that’s used to playing big games, and when you’re trying to bring players to the football club, it is trying to sell the ambition of going and playing in Europe. It is a genuine opportunity to go and do that. It requires a lot of work to go Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday if we’re able to do that, so you need your squad to be strong enough to go and deal with that. It should be something the players relish, testing yourself against the best teams in Europe in different styles, and different ways of playing.”
Hibs failed to win any of their European home games last season, but have won both so far this time out, rescuing their 2-0 embarrassment in Kosovo with a 4-1 win over KF Malisheva before a Warren O’Hora’s 90th minute goal sealed a 2-1 victory against KF Shkendija, perfectly setting them up for a 0-0 draw in North Macedonia two weeks ago. The match takes place tomorrow night at 20:00 in front of a sold-out Easter Road.