Slovenians out to atone for Champions League shocker

Published on Wednesday 28 July 2010 13:51

Maribor captain Marcos Tavares has warned Hibs they'll be facing a team consumed with the desire to atone for throwing away the chance of Champions League glory last season when John Hughes' side arrive at the Stadion Ljudski for tonight's Europa League showdown.

Brazilian-born Tavares scored twice as the Slovenian outfit shocked FC Zurich by winning 3-2 in Switzerland in the first leg of their third qualifying round in Europe's premier football competition, resulting in all 11,000 tickets for the return match selling out in less than an hour.

But Tavares and his team-mates suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat as the Swiss club went on to later secure a place in the group stages alongside AC Milan, Real Madrid and Olympic Marseille.

As he prepared for the first leg of tonight's third qualifying round, 26-year-old Tavares admitted the night a year ago still rankles but also provides all the motivation coach Darko Milanic's side need to overcome the challenge presented by Hibs.

He said: "We had a good chance to make the Champions League but in one game we made a bad mistake and we have been waiting since then to make amends. We are now better prepared, more focused and work harder to do better."

And if the Maribor side, Slovenia's most successful club with eight domestic titles although they could finish no better than runners-up in a ten-team league last season, need any further inspiration to fulfil Tavares' target of not only disposing of Hibs but making the group stages of this year's Europa League, it comes in the shape of the club celebrating it's 50th anniversary.

He said: "I think it is important for the players to achieve something this year of all years. It's not every day you get the chance to play in the Europa League but we will give it our best."

The much-travelled Tavares, he played in Malaysia and Cyprus before arriving in Slovenia two-and-a-half years ago, admitted he knew little of Scottish football in general and Hibs in particular before the draw in Nyon a fortnight ago pitched the two clubs together but, as Milanic revealed, they've been doing as much homework on Hughes' squad as the Easter Road boss has conducted on tonight's opponents.

Milanic, who captained Slovenia in Euro 2000, said: "The draw is the draw, when you find out who your opponent is, you collect all the information about the club. We are used to it because we have never had an easy draw. Hibs are a serious team but it is good because we have ambitions and it is good to play against a good team.

"As a team, Hibs are very dangerous, they have some very talented players."