St Mirren will welcome SK Brann to the SMISA Stadium on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa Conference League third-qualifying-round tie.
The hosts got past Valur Reykjavik in the previous round, while their visitors got the better of Go Ahead Eagles to move within two stages of the league phase.
Match preview
St Mirren return to action on Thursday in the midst of their first continental campaign since turning out in the 1988 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, with their sights set on the Europa Conference League league phase this term.
The Saints sealed that return to European competition with a fifth-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership last time around, their highest top-flight finish since also ending fifth in 1985, having earned 47 points, five more than Dundee in the fight for the final European spot.
That meant Stephen Robinson's side entered qualifying in the second round in July and met Valur Reykjavik, and after seeing the away leg end goalless in Iceland, they progressed with a dominant 4-1 victory on home turf thanks to goals from Shaun Rooney, Toyosi Olusanya, Mark O'Hara and Alex Iacovitti.
Following that triumph, the Saints kicked off their latest domestic campaign in style at the weekend, hosting Hibernian in their Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser and taking all three points in a 3-0 beating as Roland Idowu opened the scoring at the beginning of the second half and Oisin Smyth put the game out of sight with a brace off the bench.
With momentum behind them following a strong start to their competitive term on both fronts, St Mirren will now look to gain an edge in their third-qualifying-round tie with home advantage and take a lead into next week's away leg.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip to Scotland aiming to take a step closer to qualifying for a European competition for the first time since the 2008-09 UEFA Cup campaign, having fallen short in their three attempts since.
After falling at the final hurdle in Europa Conference League qualifying last year, suffering a penalty shootout defeat after a 4-4 aggregate draw with AZ Alkmaar in the playoff round, Brann sealed a return with a second-placed Eliteserien finish in the 2023 campaign, beating Tromso on goal difference and trailing winners Bodo/Glimt by nine points.
Their continental campaign also began in the second round against Dutch outfit Go Ahead Eagles, and after playing out a goalless draw in the away leg, Eirik Horneland's side punched their ticket to the next stage with a comeback 2-1 victory at Brann Stadion thanks to goals from Bard Finne and Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen.
The Bergens stolthet were then also back in action at the weekend, as they remained second in the Eliteserien after 18 outings with a 3-2 victory away at Stromsgodset on Sunday, with Finne again on the scoresheet alongside a Sander Kartum finish and a Gustav Valsvik own goal.
Now turning their focus back to their continental bid with two ties to navigate through if they are to reach the league phase, Brann will again aim to start positively on Thursday before welcoming St Mirren to Norway for the reverse fixture next week.
- D
- W
- W
