City well prepared for huge Djurgardens IF test
The bookmakers’ odds are firmly stacked in favour of the home side with one Irish internet firm rating the Leesiders as 6/1 outsiders to repeat their feat in Lithuania last month of taking an away victory back to Turner’s Cross for the second leg in a fortnight.
It is not difficult to see why, with the Djurgarden head coach Kjell Jonevret having assembled a likely team containing eight internationals - five for Sweden, two for Finland and a Gambian - which until Monday night had led the Swedish premier division for most of the season in a tight race with perennial big guns Malmo and IFK Gothenburg.
City boss Damien Richardson is certainly happy to play down his side’s chances in Stockholm this evening, saying that a good result here would mean “my players playing to their potential.”
He added: “They are 16 places above us in the seedings. They’re used to winning and I’m under no illusions, but part of the attraction of getting through the last round was that we would be pitted against good opponents. This will give us a clear sign of the progressions we’ve made.
“We’ve come, we’ve prepared well, it’s a huge test for us and what I need is for my players to play to their very best. If we do that we might do something and that would be the essential success to me. It would put us in the game with a chance. If we don’t play to our potential then we could be in a bit of trouble.”
The City players trained twice yesterday and during their morning session, at Djurgarden’s Hjorthagen youth team facility, were caught by a downpour. More heavy rain could return during tonight’s game and Richardson said he would be monitoring the weather forecasts before finalising his team selection.
“A lot will depend on the weather,” he said. “The way it rained this morning would have an impact on the game and the decision I have to make is in midfield.”
Richardson has to replace the suspended George O’Callaghan tonight and could return Roy O’Donovan to the right wing, moving Greg O’Halloran inside as cover for O’Callaghan.
Another scenario would be to keep O’Halloran out wide and bring in Colin O’Brien to central midfield.
Elsewhere, Michael Devine’s greater experience between the posts will get him the nod over Mark McNulty, who has been deputising since the first-choice goalkeeper dislocated a shoulder in the first leg against Ekranas.
Djurgarden head coach Jonevret is likely to make few changes to the side which drew 2-2 with city rivals Hammarby last Thursday. That means former Marseille, AC Milan and Bolton star Ibrahim Ba will not be rushed back from injury, although he could be among the substitutes.
Team captain and Swedish international centre-back Markus Johannesson does return to the starting line-up following a suspension and there are other familiar faces in the Djurgarden team. Striker Mattias Jonson has just signed for the club having spent last season with Norwich City while another member of the frontline is Daniel Sjolund, a €1.4 million prospect when he moved from West Ham to Liverpool in 2000, only to fail to break into the Anfield shake-up and return home to Sweden three years later.
Djurgarden - you only call them Djurgardens when you add the IF to their name, team officials are keen to point out - are renowned for their strong and attacking approach which is bolstered by good technical skill. Their 4-3-3 system is also boosted by a significant goals contribution from midfield, particularly from Tobias Hysen, the son of former Liverpool defender Glenn Hysen, who was a transfer target for Rangers this summer.
All in all, the Swedes present a formidable obstacle to City’s European ambitions.
: P D Tourray; M Concha, F Stenman, T Kuivasto, M Johannesson; J Arneng, A Barsom, T Hysen; M Jonson, J Kusi-Asare, D Sjolund.
: M Devine; N Horgan, A Bennett, D Murray, D Murphy; R O’Donovan, J Gamble, G O’Halloran, L Kearney; N Fenn, J O’Flynn.
: O Oriekhov, Ukraine.
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