Motherwell told to 'eat barbed wire' before Faroes test

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson has warned his squad to expect a severe test away to HB Torshavn in Thursday’s Conference League qualifier, despite taking a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at Fir Park. Johansson’s side made a strong start to the tie, controlling much of last week’s match, but the manager said the return fixture in the Faroe Islands will require a much tougher mindset.

Johansson pointed to HB Torshavn’s home record in European qualifying as a reason for caution, saying they have been beaten only rarely at home over the past decade and have avoided defeat there in European qualifiers for the past five years. He referenced fixtures involving clubs such as Brondby, Maccabi Haifa and HJK Helsinki to underline the scale of the challenge. In typically vivid language, he told his players to “go home and eat some barbed wire” as preparation for what he expects to be a physical and demanding contest.

The tie also comes during a period of squad change at Motherwell. BBC Sport notes that Elliot Watt, Elijah Just and Calum Ward have left the club this summer, while Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell remain unavailable. Young academy players featured prominently in the first leg and impressed when called upon.

There is a boost for Motherwell with forward Tawanda Maswanhise set to travel after a pre-season jaw injury. Johansson said the Zimbabwe international, who was Motherwell’s top scorer in the Scottish Premiership last season, will not start and will wear protection, but described his return to the squad as significant.