Adam Lecky believes Ballymena United have reasons to be optimistic ahead of their Europa League opener.
The Sky Blues have been drawn against the Faroese outfit NSI Runavik in the preliminary stage of the competition .
NSI played Scottish Premiership side Hibernian in the first qualifying round last summer, losing 12-5 on aggregate.
They current sit second in the Faroe Islands Premier League after 12 games of their domestic season.
"We will probably be underdogs, but it is a tie that we firmly believe we can win," said Lecky.
"It doesn't matter who you draw, it is going to be tough. In many respects you are going into the unknown, but we will devise a game plan to win and progress to the next round.
"Linfield played Runavik a few years ago and beat them.
"Sometimes you get opposition that you know nothing about, but that won't be the case for this game.
"I know David (Jeffrey) and Bryan (McLaughin) will have a game plan to try and get us through to the next round.
"The sole focus right now is on these European games. We are back to pre-season but we haven't even mentioned the domestic campaign.
"Europe is our main and only focus right now."
Ballymena United are preparing for their second European adventure in the space of three years under Jeffrey.
For Lecky, it will be his first experience.
"It is something new for me. I suppose I am a little bit late to the party," he joked.
"But I can't wait. It is a great opportunity for the players and the fans, and there is a massive reward if we can win.
"It will be good to get away with the team for a couple of days and have a really professional camp.
"We have a couple of friendlies before the first leg, so we will prepare as best we can so we are ready."
Ballymena will have home advantage for the first leg on Thursday, June 27 before travelling to the Faroe Islands for the return leg on July 4.
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