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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Sport
Ross Pilcher

Rijeka boss expects Hibs to get physical in Europa Conference League third qualifying round

Rijeka boss Goran Tomic is expecting Hibs to get physical when the teams do battle in Europe.

Jack Ross ’ team will face the Croatians for a place in the Europa Conference League playoff round, where the likes of Tottenham and Roma are waiting ahead of the group stages.

The Hibees eased through to the third qualifying round with a 5-1 aggregate win over FC Santa Coloma.

The first leg saw three sent off, including Hibs' Joe Newell who received a straight red after just half-an-hour.

Replays showed the ref got it horribly wrong, but the club decided against appealing the decision.

Hibs finished the job in Andorra last night, while Rijeka saw off Maltese minnows Gzira United 3-0 on aggregate.

Tomic has revealed he expects the Hibbes to throw their weight around in a bid to progress at his team’s expense.

But he believes the hostile atmosphere Rijeka’s fans can create now they are allowed back in the stadium can help them.

He said: "We will analyse Hibs thoroughly, but we expect a physical game full of tackles, with the ball being in the air a lot.

"Football in Britain is played in a very specific way.

"Hibs will be a completely different opponent and a far more demanding one.

"But what I would say is that our support is incredible. When you have that kind of support, things you can't normally do, you can do. It makes a huge difference having fans in the stadium.

"We have Dinamo Zagreb this weekend first though so all our efforts are going into playing them and then we focus on the Scottish club."

Do you want an exclusive pre-season Hibs preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.

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