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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Gareth Fullerton

Linfield vs Qarabag: Mark Stafford hoping to avoid baby Blues in Europa League

Mark Stafford will be hoping to avoid any baby Blues when Linfield take on Qarabag in the Europa League.

The defender has enjoyed a memorable week leading up to Thursday night's game at Windsor Park (7.45pm).

Last Saturday his wife Kylie gave birth to their second daughter, and on Tuesday the defender turned 32.

Not that there were many celebrations.

That's because Stafford - who scored in last week's famous win over Sutjeska - has turned his full focus on Linfield's latest European acid test.

They are 15/2 underdogs to taste victory in Belfast on Thursday, against a side who have previously qualified for the group stages of both the Champions League and Europa League.

"The birthday celebrations have been put on hold -  lot of things have been on hold," Stafford said.

"I obviously couldn't put the wife on hold last weekend. We had a baby daughter Lyla on Saturday, so it has been busy and and exciting time for me.

"I have put a lot of things in my own life to the back burner recently, with work and stuff. And I feel it has really benefited me."

Linfield stand to earn in the region of £4m if they reach the group stages of the Europa League, but Stafford is refusing to get seduced by the lucrative rewards of the competition.

"We haven't been sitting thinking about the magnitude of this game. It is there and at the forefront of our minds, but it is a game of football against a very good team," the former Ballinamallard United defender said.

"We will focus on ourselves and have a real good rattle at them and see where it takes us."

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