Brown braced for tougher test as Motherwell bid to topple Aalesund

Published on Wednesday 28 July 2010 12:54

Motherwell boss Craig Brown is in no doubt his side face a step up in class when they face Aalesund in Norway tonight as they continue their Europa League campaign.

The Fir Park outfit defeated Breidablik 1-0 in both legs of the second qualifying round, games which came against a side sitting top of the Icelandic league after more than ten matches.

Aalesund are even further into their domestic season and consolidated their place in the top four with a 1-0 victory over Valerenga on Saturday.

Veteran Motherwell scout and coach Bobby Jenks was at the game and he left Brown and his right-hand man Archie Knox in no doubt about the difficulties they face. "Bobby came back with a comp report and was also lucky enough to get his hands on a dvd of their game on Saturday," Brown said.

"So we know what we are up against, our preparation has been thorough.

"They are a very good team, athletic, fit, organised. The Norwegian league is tougher than the Icelandic one and they defeated the second-placed team at the weekend.

"They have a brand new stadium with 11,500 seats and we expect it to be full."