Mowbray not taken in by Dnipro's poor league form

Mowbray watched as Dnipro lost for the fifth time in seven league matches, going down 1-0 in their own Meteor Stadium against Illichivets on Monday night.

But, pointing out how Dnipro made the last 32 of last season's UEFA Cup competition, topping a group which contained Real Zaragossa, Utrecht and Bruges, Mowbray believes the Ukrainians are better than their current form suggests.

Mowbray, who endured a ten-hour journey in each direction involving six flights covering some 3600 miles, said: "I would say the trip was definitely beneficial, it gave us an insight into what they are all about.

"They are experienced, they have some good technical players and a shape that they adhere to so it will be a tough task."

Mowbray, who was accompanied by Hibs chief scout John Park, revealed how he was advised not to be taken in by Dnipro's latest setback by a local fan.

He said: "I was sitting next to him during the match but he didn't speak much English. However, he turned up at our hotel yesterday morning with an interpreter and told us not to read too much into what we had seen the previous night.

"And if they achieved what they did last season with these players then they must be better than what we saw.

"Having said that, however, they have some very talented individual players who play with their head up and pick the right pass. They have experienced international players and you could see that. My belief is that they are a talented side for whom things are simply not happening at the moment. Even the goal they lost the other night was a goalkeeping error, a shot from 30 yards straight at him which he let slip through his fingers.

"It was also a chance for us to have a look at their stadium. It wasn't too dissimilar to the one in which we played in Lithuania last year.

The pitch is in the middle of what used to be an athletics track so it is a bit of a way from the stands, and the crowd, which was only about 8000 in a stadium which holds somewhere around 30,000, made plenty of noises with horns and the like."

While Mowbray and Park have returned, Hibs company secretary Garry O'Hagan and security advisor Jim Pryde were today in Dnipro making arrangements for both the team and fans for their trip next month.

BBC Scotland have disclosed they'll televise the first leg from Easter Road on September 15.