Welcome to the tongue-twisting time of year when Scottish clubs discover which European backwaters they’ve been paired with.
It will be either Faroese side Víkingur Gota or Andorrans Inter Club d’Escaldes for Hibs but there can also be no excuses. Let’s be honest, these are two teams hardly anyone has heard of and they must be dispatched accordingly by Lee Johnson’s side. Nothing is a given in this game – as I know better than most – but I’ll get to my Intertoto Cup humiliation shortly.
This Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie should be a canter for Johnson and his players, regardless of where they have to fly to. It’s only a five years since Hibs beat Faroese outfit NSI Runavik 12-5 on aggregate, which included a 6-4 second-leg win in the fog during the away trip. Two seasons ago they beat Santa Coloma of Andorra comfortably when clubs were operating through the Covid campaign, so they’ll have an idea of the level they’re about to face.
