Laudrup pleased that both prospective opponents are familiar faces, but what do we know about them?
The wait is finally over. Well. Kind of. We now know we'll be facing either Malmo (Sweden) or Hibernian (Scotland) in our Europa League debut, and the relative locality of both clubs is key. I won't have been alone in fearing a lengthy trip to Eastern Europe which could have seen tired legs kicking in early on in the season, however that possibility has, for now, been nullified. Laudrup, too, is happy we aren't facing a lengthy sojourn to some place with no vowels in the placename (rich coming from a Welshman, I know):
"I'm pleased with the draw. Sweden or Scotland is perfect for us geographically. It was important for me that we avoided a long trip and the prospect of difficult weather conditions.
"We also know the playing styles of both teams, so that is also a positive for us, although I would have preferred to be away in the first-leg rather than home, but you can't have everything
"Malmo is a huge club in Sweden with a proven record and proud history, but I'm sure Hibernian will be in there fighting until the end.'' Michael Laudrup
With two possible opponents, let's take a look at what we could expect from them.
Malmo FF
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| Malmo |
They finished third last season, and are currently sitting on top of the Swedish league - so they're clearly as good as any team in Sweden on their day. Taking them lightly won't be an option; they've won 16 national championships (only IFK Goteborg have won more with 18). and are one of the main movers and shakers in Swedish football, last winning the title in 2010. Notable former players include Jan Moller (a legendary goalkeeper who played for Malmo in a 1-0 European Cup Final loss to Nottingham Forest in the 70's), Jari Litmanen, Martin Dahlin (who played briefly for Blackburn Rovers but made his name playing for Borussia Munchengladbach), Patrick Andersson (who also, weirdly, played for Blackburn and Borussia Munchengladbach but went on to play for Bayern Munich and Barcelona, winning 96 caps for his country) and last but not least, the effervescent Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But who are their main players these days?
In looking for stand-out performers, you start to feel sorry for Malmo - every player I found who I thought "he looks a bit tasty" generally moved on at the end of that season, and it seems they're in a bit of a cycle of selling their best young players as soon as they have a breakthrough season. Mathias Ranegie is the latest example; he only made 26 league appearances for the Swedish club before Udinese came knocking, and the attraction of a much, much bigger league is always likely to be too much for any footballer to turn down. That being said, they do have a young exciting squad, with players like Emil Forsberg, Magnus Eriksson, Jiloan Hamad and Tokelo Rantie all getting their fair share of goals so far this season. Definitely some names to watch out for.
One area we may be able to exploit is in defence - first choice keeper Johan Dahlin (apparently no relation to Martin) has played 8 times so far this season, and has only kept one clean sheet. I don't know how much we can read into that, but I think goals may well flow if it is indeed Malmo we come up against.
Hibernian FC
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| Hibs' ground, Easter Road |
Hibernian, or "Hibs" as they are more commonly known, are one of the two famous SPL sides to hail from Edinburgh. Founded by Irish immigrants in 1875, the club has a long history and their roots are still displayed proudly in the form of the crest, name and club colours. They've won 4 league titles - one in 1903 and then three in 1948, 1951 ad 1952, with the three later titles largely attributed to a legendary forward line dubbed "The Famous Five" - so much so that when a stand at Easter Road was rebuilt it was named after them. Off the back of their success in the early fifties, they were also invited to appear in the inaugural European Cup in 1956, becoming the first British club to play in Europe. Chelsea were invited, but the FA secretary persuaded them not to enter...good to see the FA is still about as efficient as it was then. On to more recent times though, and players we should look out for should we end up facing a trip to Scotland.
Hibernian finished 7th in the SPL last year, but made it to the Scottish Cup Final, and despite losing to League Champions Celtic they gained a place in the Europa League thanks to Celtic having qualified for the Champions League. Goalkeeper Ben Williams kept 11 clean sheets in 37 games, however they only won 6 of those games with 5 finishing in 0-0 draws, but that does seem a bit more solid than their Swedish opponents. That being said, with the first tie finishing 2-0 in favour of Malmo clearly the Swedes have the players to get at them. Up top Hibernian had their own ace in the hole last season - striker Lee Griffiths. On loan from Wolves, he banged in 23 goals in 36 games, and the Hibs faithful will no doubt be hoping someone can replicate that kind of form to help overturn the first leg deficit and set up a tie with the Swans.
Bit of trivia here; former Swan Shefki Kuqi spent last season at Hibs after signing on a free transfer. He only started twice (a further twelve appearances coming off the bench) however manager Pat Fenlon clearly thought he had a positive effect on the squad. Another ex-Swan at Easter Road is Owain Tudur-Jones. The Welsh international has had a stop-start career that's been derailed by injury a few times, but it seems he's making a name for himself in Scotland. After signing for Inverness Caledonian Thistle he started well before injuring a knee ligament which required surgery, but he recovered to make 33 appearances the following season - impressing enough to draw the attention of Hibs, and they subsequently (and successfully) made an approach for the languid midfielder.
We could well see Owain line-up against us, and I for one would be pleased to see him succeed at Hibs. I always felt if he could steer clear of injury he could play at a high level, and it seems he's slowly getting there - he was sent off twice last season though, alongside two others the most any one player saw red in the league that year. I don't remember him being particularly tasty!
Whoever we face, these truly are exciting times for anyone connected to, or who follows Swansea City. Next stop Europe, please drive!