Jamie Murphy’s invaluable away goal gives us the upper hand at this half-time stage in the tie. The loss of an extra time penalty in Norway means that we will progress in the event of a 0-0 draw but failing that we will have to win the game to stay in the competition.
Craig Brown has made it clear that “we’re not going to attack gung-ho” but he does recognise the value of us scoring an early goal. He hopes that the fans come in big numbers and he asks for both patience and support. He believes that the big home support should give the team “an extra surge”. With reports suggesting that all three home stands will be full, the team will be guaranteed the best backing that Lanarkshire can muster.
We have no injury concerns so any change from the first leg will be tactical. There must be a strong chance that the same eleven that earned the first leg draw will start on Thursday.
The visitors are expected to employ the same 4-3-3 formation that seems to be their standard shape. They know that they have to score a goal to win the tie but that does not mean that all out attack is their best strategy. If they can keep a clean sheet into the second half we’ll need to redouble our vigilance in the back line. It is inevitable that they will have at least a few opportunities to score and our best insurance has to be a couple of goals.
The chance of a great night under the Fir Park floodlights does not come along too often and with the help of a big Motherwell support we should be tuning for Friday’s qualifying. Murphy and Sutton could grab the headlines with a goal apiece in a 2-0 win.