Aberdeen defender Ash Taylor knows discipline will be the key quality required by the Dons if they are to get past HNK Rijeka in the Europa League.
The Dons travel to Croatia tomorrow to face the Prva Liga runners-up on Thursday and will face a team with an impressive European pedigree. The Croats are unbeaten in their last 12 home European matches and defeated Feyenoord and Standard Liege and drew at home to eventual winners Sevilla last season.
It makes for a daunting task for Derek McInnes and his squad, but Taylor is confident the Dons can achieve a positive result to keep the tie alive for the second leg at Pittodrie next Thursday.
He said: “We know a bit about the Croats already because the manager has been doing his homework and has been telling us what they’re all about.
“It’s important to be well clued up on their strengths and weaknesses.
“They are a very good side with a lot of international players in their team. Their home record in Europe has been excellent in recent seasons so we know it’s going to be tough.
“It will be important to keep our discipline across there, hopefully we can get back to our place with plenty to play for.”
The Dons are bracing themselves for being under long periods of pressure in Rijeka, not to mention playing in high temperatures, but Taylor is confident his team can cause the opposition problems.
He said: “We’ll be looking to nullify their threat, but it’s not only about that because we have to focus on ourselves as well. We’ll be working on how we’re going to make an impact on the game.”