What happened?

Alfred Johansson has told his Motherwell players to prepare for a tough battle against HB in the Conference League, after the Steelmen took a 2-0 lead in the first leg. The return leg is set to take place in the Faroes, where HB have not lost at home in five years.

Why it matters for Motherwell

Johansson is well aware of the challenge Motherwell face, as HB haven’t lost at home in the last five years, beating Buducnost Podgorica, Maccabi Haifa and Newtown and drawing with Derry City, Hajduk Split and Brondby last season.

What comes next?

The Motherwell head coach stated: “We are going to go there and try to be positive and try to have a good performance. Of course, we are going there to try and win but at the same time you also have to respect the opponent and the place where we play. “In 10 years, I believe they have lost twice at home in European qualification. The last five years they have lost zero games in European qualification and that includes Brondby, a big club in Denmark, Maccabi Haifa and HJK. “They are pretty big clubs from other regions of Europe. You can’t neglect the fact they have done well at home and if you think you are going to go there and grab a victory real simple then you are fooling yourself. “They have done really well at home. I told the guys to go home and eat some barbed wire and to prepare for the battle. “It will be a battle and we will need to be strong and brave to play our way. The intensity has to be there or there is no need to travel.”

Goals and recent form

The Motherwell boss, however, won’t be going to the Torsvollur looking to sit and hold on to what they have. He will be hoping their can be a repeat of Motherwell's away win over HB back in 1994. The Steelmen are currently 4th in the Premiership, 54 points behind the leaders, and have recently gone on a winning streak, with their last three games ending in a win, loss, and win.

Boost for Motherwell

The Motherwell head coach also confirmed that top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise is fit and available for the game, after recovering from his broken jaw. Maswanhise has been a key player for Motherwell this season, scoring 52 goals in 33 games, and his return is a significant boost for the team.

Next fixture

Motherwell’s next fixture is against Celtic, who are currently 3rd in the Premiership table, on December 26th.