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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Aidan Smith

Hibs learn potential Uefa Conference League third round opponent

Hibs will take on either Djurgårdens IF of Sweden or FC Luzern Switzerland, should they defeat Club d’Escaldes in the second qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League.

Lee Johnson's side are set to take on their Andoran opponents this week and next before possibly finding themselves in the third qualifying round.

The draw for the next stage of the competition took place today and Hibs could be heading to either Sweden or Switzerland.

FC Luzern will be a familiar trip for some Scottish football fans after St Johnstone defeated the Swiss outfit over two legs back in 2014.

The two-legged ties will take place on 10 August and 17 August.

Meanwhile, Hibs have been forced to admit defeat in their bid to get talismanic winger Martin Boyle fit for Thursday’s European opener in Andorra.

The Australia internationalist is in the final stages of his recovery from surgery on historic damage to his anterior cruciate knee ligament and his absence will be a significant blow.

The 30-year-old is back in full training but was not risked again in Friday night’s final warm-up game against Dutch outfit Groningen.

Manager Lee Johnson admits Boyle is desperate to be involved as soon as possible after nine months out and is training at a greater intensity than needed for matches.

But, with fears of a setback so close to the kick-off to the Premiership season, Johnson is erring on the side of caution as he anticipates the ‘chaos’ of the first-leg of their Europa Conference League second qualifying round against Inter Club d’Escaldes.

Boyle has been sidelined since late October and Johnson has confessed even the second-leg at Easter Road on August 3 - three days before the visit of St Mirren in the league - may be too soon for the fans’ favourite.

He said: “Martin is not quite ready.

“We wouldn’t risk him if we were playing Celtic or Hearts for this game, because he’s just not ready in terms of the markers he has to hit.

“He will be, he’s very close and he’s doing fantastically well. But it’s just the strength he needs to make sure he matches up.

“He’s doing really well and he’s really, really close. He’s chomping at the bit, but we’ve just got to hold onto him for another week or so.

“You’ve just got to trust that we do the right things to have him for the whole season.

“It’s eight and a half, nine months, and there’s a big percentile swing if you put them in too early, particularly if there’s a slight strength issue.

“He doesn’t understand that, he’s a nightmare!

“But I feel sorry for him because he’s training really, really well. He’s actually training at a higher intensity than games produce anyway, so it’s understandable.

“But it’s just the chaos of a competitive fixture that is the risk.

“There’s a bit more control in training because people don’t smash into him, they know to look after their mate.

“But the chaos of a competitive game is just a little bit risky. We’re so close.”

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