Kamlesh Barjati
Banned
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- 26 May 2011
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Fulham's Aaron Hughes does not know too much about Thursday evening's Europa League opponents NSI Runavik.
But the Northern Ireland international is not expecting to come out on the wrong end of an upset.
The Cottagers began pre-season last week in preparation for the first-round tie at Craven Cottage against the team from the Faroe Islands.
Hughes is one of a handful of players within the Fulham squad to have played a side from the Nordic country, having drawn 1-1 against their national team with Northern Ireland last October.
But despite almost coming a cropper on international duty, the defender does not expect too much pressure from Thursday night's opponents.
"I don't know a great deal about them," he said. "We have not had a chance to look at them too much this week because it has more been about preparation on the football pitch and a little bit of top-up on fitness.
"I guess in the meeting before the game anything that the lads inside have found they will highlight and give us an idea before we go out.
"It is as much about focusing about what we do and making sure we do all the basic things right, which should be enough to take us through."
Fulham are 1/100 with some bookies to win the match, while the visitors are priced by some as 66/1 to spring an upset.
The odds come as no surprise seeing as NSI hail from a town of just 4,000 inhabitants and are made up of part-time players, including a teacher and trainee telephone salesman.
Club captain and star player Christian Hogni Jacobsen has even admitted that Fulham would need to have an "incredibly bad day" for them to have any chance of victory.
The Londoners' expected dominance could go someway to explaining why more than 12,000 tickets have already been sold - and recently-appointed manager Martin Jol is hoping to entertain those that turnout.
"I do not want to concede too many goals and play attractive football because that is what our supporters want," he said of the approach he is bringing to the club.
"That is probably the same at Spurs. You have a kind of culture and style that you play for the crowds and that is what we try to do here.
"We have got a few youngsters in the squad so of course there is four or five players not here, they are on holiday so it is a nice opportunity for these youngsters to show and prove themselves.
"I can't imagine going out in the first round but it is football so you never know.
"You could say that it is 90 per cent sure that we go through but you still have to do the business and our players know that."
http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2383935,00.html
But the Northern Ireland international is not expecting to come out on the wrong end of an upset.
The Cottagers began pre-season last week in preparation for the first-round tie at Craven Cottage against the team from the Faroe Islands.
Hughes is one of a handful of players within the Fulham squad to have played a side from the Nordic country, having drawn 1-1 against their national team with Northern Ireland last October.
But despite almost coming a cropper on international duty, the defender does not expect too much pressure from Thursday night's opponents.
"I don't know a great deal about them," he said. "We have not had a chance to look at them too much this week because it has more been about preparation on the football pitch and a little bit of top-up on fitness.
"I guess in the meeting before the game anything that the lads inside have found they will highlight and give us an idea before we go out.
"It is as much about focusing about what we do and making sure we do all the basic things right, which should be enough to take us through."
Fulham are 1/100 with some bookies to win the match, while the visitors are priced by some as 66/1 to spring an upset.
The odds come as no surprise seeing as NSI hail from a town of just 4,000 inhabitants and are made up of part-time players, including a teacher and trainee telephone salesman.
Club captain and star player Christian Hogni Jacobsen has even admitted that Fulham would need to have an "incredibly bad day" for them to have any chance of victory.
The Londoners' expected dominance could go someway to explaining why more than 12,000 tickets have already been sold - and recently-appointed manager Martin Jol is hoping to entertain those that turnout.
"I do not want to concede too many goals and play attractive football because that is what our supporters want," he said of the approach he is bringing to the club.
"That is probably the same at Spurs. You have a kind of culture and style that you play for the crowds and that is what we try to do here.
"We have got a few youngsters in the squad so of course there is four or five players not here, they are on holiday so it is a nice opportunity for these youngsters to show and prove themselves.
"I can't imagine going out in the first round but it is football so you never know.
"You could say that it is 90 per cent sure that we go through but you still have to do the business and our players know that."
http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2383935,00.html
