Hibernian of Scotland defender, Efe Ambrose is in for a stern test in the Europa League qualifiers later this month, as his coach at the SPL club, Neil Lennon has branded Asteras Tripolis as favourites to win their clash.
Ambrose and his pals will battle Tripolis in the second round of qualifying at Easter Road on Thursday night, with the Greek Super League side boasting a superior record in recent continental competitions.
Ambrsoe’s opponents reached the group stages in consecutive seasons from 2014-15 to 2015-16, and Lennon feels that experience could be crucial over the two legs – especially with The Hibs not having made it into the first round proper since 2005.
Ambrose’s coach declared: “They have a bit of pedigree in this tournament in terms of playing in the group stages.
“They have done two or three times in the last four or five years so they area good team and finished the season strongly as we did.
“They are a big squad but are tactically very well set up and are a smart team. It’s a very difficult tie for us. I would imagine so.
“We have very little pedigree at this level. We had two games against Brondby [in 2016] which were an excellent starting point from my point of view in terms of taking the job.
“I would say they have a lot more experience than us at his level, however, it’s their first competitive game and any advantage we can take, we should try and maximise.
“They put a lot of emphasis on European campaigns, so tactically will be smart and streetwise; it’s a really good test for us.”
