Uefa Europa Conference League second qualifying round, first leg
Derry City v KuPS (Thursday, 7.45pm)
DERRY City manager Ruaidhrí Higgins is expecting tonight’s Europa Conference League second qualifying round, first leg encounter against Finnish side KuPS to be a tight affair.
Higgins said that the Candystripes’ opposition analyst Gerald Boyle has produced a detailed report on tonight’s opponents and his players know what they have to do.
“They are a really good team and we’ve done a lot of work on them obviously over the last few days – and without being disrespectful to Torshavn, they are definitely a step up,” he said.
“They have got good individual players. We obviously have a plan that we’re working towards and what we feel will cause them problems, so if we work towards that and be disciplined in what we’re trying to achieve then we can get a big result.
“We know, over the course of the two games, this is a huge, huge challenge but one that we’re ready for.
“We lost at home last year to Riga, and we had two or three amazing opportunities to go 1-0 up out there. Regardless of the result, we won’t be giving up on anything, we want to go out and win.
“We’ve won three or four on the spin here and our home form has really gathered momentum and we want that to continue. We’re very well versed on what we’re coming up against.”
Higgins also hopes that experienced players such as Patrick McEleney (below) and Michael Duffy produce the goods at tonight’s sold-out encounter at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium
“Patrick has played nearly 50 games in Europe, so it’s amazing having that experience,” he said.
“Mickey has played a lot of games in Europe and Will Patching has played in Europe. We have players who have played a lot of football in Europe.
“We also have to understand... we’re managing Patrick and people are asking “Why isn’t he playing?”. “There’s a reason why we have to be very, very careful with him.
“Look, it’s a catch-22. He is also one of the top players in the country and that experience is crucial, but we’ll see on Thursday night.
“We’ve a brilliant defensive record this season. I know we had a bad night down in Inchicore, but if you take that away, our defensive record – with Shane McEleney, Cameron McJannet, Mark Connolly, Ronan Boyce, Ben Doherty and Ciaran Coll – has been excellent.”
The Candystripes have virtually a fully fit squad to choose from, with midfielder Adam O’Reilly available again after he missed both legs against HB Torshavn in the first qualifying round through suspension.
