Europa League Preview: NK Maribor v Hibernian
Scottish Premier League club Hibernian face a fresh challenge this week as they take on Slovenian side NK Maribor in the third qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday. The first leg will take place at the Ljudski vrt stadium in Maribor, with the second leg of the tie being played at the Hibees’ Easter Road stadium in Edinburgh. The teams have never played against each other but both sides will be hoping to come out on top and progress to the next stage of the competition.
Hibernian qualified for the qualifying stages of this year’s Europa League after achieving a fourth-place finish in last season’s SPL campaign, a feat achieved in manager John Hughes’ first year in charge.
Hibs have a trio of strikers capable of causing problems for most opponents in Scots Colin Nish and Derek Riordan and Irishman Anthony Stokes. Nish was signed in early 2008 from Kilmarnock and scored on his home debut against Gretna. In 78 appearances for the club he supported as a boy, the 29-year-old has scored 21 goals. Riordan started his career with Hibs, netting 54 times in 123 games before signing for Celtic in 2006. At Parkhead, the striker did not enjoy the best of times as he struggled to hold down a place in the team. The 27-year-old returned to Easter Road in 2008 for an undisclosed transfer fee. Since his return, the Scottish international has scored 25 goals in 69 games for his club. Stokes signed for Hibs in 2009 and was reunited with Hughes who was his manager during a loan spell at rival SPL side Falkirk. The 21-year-old enjoyed a stellar first season in Edinburgh, scoring 21 times in all competitions. He is also a full Republic of Ireland international player, having made three appearances for his country.
Slovenian Cup
After winning the Slovenian championship in 2008-09, Maribor were led to second place last season by coach Darko Milanič. However, they still managed to win the Slovenian Cup. They are the most successful club in Slovenian football with eight league titles, six Slovenian Cups and one Slovenian Supercup. They also have a European pedigree, having qualified for the group stages of the Champions League in 1999-00 and featuring in the Europa League and UEFA Cup in four of the last seven years. Their squad comprises almost exclusively of Slovenian players, with the exception of Croatians Dejan Mezga and Tomislav Pavličić and captain Marco Tavares, of Brazil. The 26-year-old skipper has been with the club since 2008 and has scored 29 times for his club. The striker was also named as the best player in the Slovenian PrvaLiga in the 2008-09 season.
After losing in a pre-season friendly in Holland, Hibs midfielder Liam Miller declared the Scottish club ready for the challenge of Maribor. The Republic of Ireland player told The Scotsman: "As much as you'd like to win every game I don't think that's important at this stage. It's all about preparing for the Europa League matches and the forthcoming SPL season and to that end the manager has been trying different ideas, using players in different positions with different formations and tactics.”
Hughes has also revealed that he has had a scout watching Maribor in action as they prepare for the clash, and told the Hibs official website: "There will be no stone left unturned to give my players information." He added that he had watched Maribor play in the previous round of the Europa League qualifying and said: "They look a decent side, we watched their match on TV. The two wingers look like they have got good pace.”
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