European opportunity opening up for Motherwell?

[SNS] Motherwell fans hoping for a glamour European tie might feel a tad disappointed given the potential opponents the Fir Park club could have been drawn against in the third round of Conference League qualifying. The Lanarkshire side also avoided some big hitters in the previous stage, where they will instead face the Faroese outfit HB over two legs. The first of those games takes place at Fir Park this Thursday, before a trip to Torshavn next week. It certainly will not be an easy tie for Alfred Johansson's team, especially given their ongoing injury crisis and the fact that Elijah Just is set to join Elliot Watt and Calum Ward in heading for the exit door . However, Motherwell will still be favourites for the two-legged affair, and if they progress they will seal a date with either Coleraine or HJK Helsinki. Motherwell beat the Northern Irish side Coleraine during their failed Europa League qualifying attempt in 2020, while on paper HJK pose a more formidable test. The 2025 Finnish Cup winners finished fifth in their 12-team league last term and are currently fifth in their division after 16 rounds of fixtures, but they boast better European pedigree than their potential Scottish opponents. They have played in the Conference League proper in two of their past three seasons, drawing with Aberdeen twice in 2023-24. But scraping past NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands in qualifying last term before being beaten by the Bulgarian outfit Arda Kardzhali perhaps suggests they are not the force they once were. Motherwell fans will be wary of looking too far ahead. A horror defeat to Sligo Rovers brought a rapid end to their most recent European campaign, but their path to the play-offs looks far more forgiving than it could have been.