Motherwell's Joe Hodge is adamant that his team can still salvage their Conference League dream, despite a 3-1 loss to Freiburg.
What happened?
The midfielder made his Euro debut against Freiburg and reckons the Steelmen can spring a surprise. The 10-man Steelmen are up against it after a brave Fir Park performance which they lost 3-1 to Freiburg. Hodge accepts they have a mountain to climb to turn things around on Thursday in the Europa Park Stadium against last season’s Europa League finalists.
Why it matters for Motherwell
Hodge confidently stated: "Honestly, no. I think where we are as a team, we need to be going and looking to win these games." The former Wolves youngster knows it is all about mentality going over to the Bundesliga side. He acknowledged: "Absolutely, we've seen what the atmosphere can be like at that stadium."
What comes next?
The team is currently 3rd in Premiership, with 4 pts, 1W-1D-0L from 2 games, and a recent form of DW, having scored 2 goals and conceded 1, with a goal difference of +1. They are 2 points behind leaders Celtic, and their next fixture is against Dundee at home on 2026-12-19. Hodge was disappointed that there is a two goal deficit from the first-leg, but he is confident that the team can turn things around. He said: "We've just got to go there and win." More than 8,000 fans clapped their heroes off at Fir Park, and Hodge was just gutted that Motherwell’s players couldn’t give them more.
