Hibernian

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Goalkeeper Jordan Smith was proud of how Hibs handled the tough mentality test in their draw with dangerous Danish side Midtjylland.

After Jamie McGrath's early opener, Smith and his defence dealt with everything the hosts could muster until he was beaten by Aral Simsir's superb free-kick into the top corner.

The result means Hibs head into next Thursday's second leg at Easter Road knowing a win will be enough to see them into the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

"It was a tough tie, they asked a lot of questions of us, and ultimately we were probably a bit disappointed that we didn't win the game having been in that winning position," Smith told HibsTV.

"However, there are certainly more positives to take out of the game than negatives - we're fairly happy going back to Easter Road with it all to play for.

"It was a very mentally testing game for me, but defensively we've got a really good understanding of each other at the back. They are a quality side, with quality players – so we knew they were going to ask us questions, but I think we stood up to that task.

"It was nice to make my European debut at the age of 30 as well.

"I'm really proud of the boys. We didn't let the occasion get to us, we showed the opposition respect without showing them too much respect, and we took the game to them. We showed moments of our own quality and we did the other side of the game really well.

"If you had asked us before the game, we probably would've taken that result. It is all to play for next week."

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We asked for your views on Hibernian's 1-1 draw away to Midtjylland in the first leg of their Europa League second-round qualifier.

Here's what some of you said:

John: Very good team performance and means next week's game should see Easter Road sold out. We need to remain cautious but with the momentum the crowd can bring we have a fantastic opportunity.

Billy: Defensively the team put in a real shift - disciplined, compact, and working as a unit. We were tough to break down and made it very difficult for the opposition to play through us. Great to see that level of commitment. In attack, however, we lacked a bit of composure. I'd like to see the lads give themselves a moment to breathe - retain possession, settle things down, and build the attack with a bit more patience. That said, it's a great result overall and plenty of positives to build on.

George: Played well enough. Keeper looked secure, defence solid, midfield worked hard. Martin Boyle just a shade offside which is a shame because I recon that would've killed them off. Tactically spot on from David Gray and crew. Leg two will be tricky though as they can play a bit.

Andrew: Really positive result to take back. It was key to leave ourselves something to take back home to build on and we have done just that. Sure, we possibly rode our luck a bit but the result is all that matters. Impressive performances all round, especially against a team of their stature who are ranked 166 places above us. The result is by no means guaranteed but we have a European night to look forward to at Easter Road with all to play for which, before this game, wasn't guaranteed.

Gordon: Absolutely outstanding from Hibs. Could gave been two or three up at half-time. A lot more defending in the second half but the defence and, in particular that man Rocky Bushiri, were superb. Only a stunning free-kick got through. What a night next Thursday will be at a packed Easter Road, absolutely rocking.

Matty: We had a great game with our defensive style and our counter-attacking. Our mentality heading into this game was worrying because of the Bolton loss but this game shows that we are ready to take that big step to possibly put ourselves into the Europa League. It shows the togetherness of the fans and the players that we knew was always there.

Kenny: Any result away from home in Europe is a good result. The advantage is now with us to finish the job. It's also good to get the first competitive game out of the way having had a good performance.

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Former Hibs midfielder Scott Allan: A lot of how Midtjylland were not as potent as you thought they would be was down to Hibs.

In the second half, you know they are going to pile on the pressure.

Hibs' defence turned into a back five and held firm apart from being undone by a brilliant free-kick, but it brings hope for the second leg.

Former Hibs skipper Joelle Murray: Content, delighted. We said a draw would be ideal to take back to Easter Road. A draw was probably deserved.

The performance and result brings hope and belief that, in front of a packed Easter Road, it gives the players the confidence to go on and win the tie.

There's massively high hopes for Kieron Bowie this season. I think his experience with the national team will only benefit Hibs this season.

Hibs fans, did you make the trip over to Denmark or were you following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the performance.

Are you happy with the draw? What did you make of the new recruits in their first competitive match?

Have your say on the game

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Hibernian head coach David Gray: "The challenge was always to keep the tie alive and give us something to build on.

"With the level of performance, I am delighted for the players. They were outstanding to a man.

"But it is only half the job. We knew that. But I want the players to take confidence from this because we went and matched a Champions League team from last season.

"Not getting carried away because we had to do a lot of defending. We've got things to improve on because we want to get through to the next round but our objective was to keep the tie alive and we've done that.

"I don't want to single anybody out because it was a real collective performance. The tie is still alive and there's everything to play for in the second leg and that's all you can ask for from an away tie in Europe.

"It took a fantastic free-kick for them to score a goal and I think that's credit to the defenders. The players need to keep believing, keep working hard and stay humble to make sure they keep improving."

Brian McLauchlin in Denmark
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hibs midfielder Jamie McGrath has stressed the importance of keeping the Europa League qualifying tie against Midtjylland alive for next week's return at "rocking" Easter Road.

The Republic of Ireland international, a summer arrival from Aberdeen, is set to make his Hibs debut in the first leg in Denmark on Thursday night.

"I've really settled in really well," 28-year-old McGrath told BBC Scotland.

"Hopefully we can show what we're about and hit the ground running for the season.

"Obviously they're a very good team. They're used to group-stage football and we'll have our work cut out.

"But on the flip side, we're also very dangerous on the counter. Hopefully we can bring it back to Easter Road next week and get the place rocking.

"Away games in Europe are tough, so you have to stay in the game, but we know we can score goals against anybody.

"Let's try to bring it back to Easter Road next week. The boys showed last season they're more than capable of beating anybody at home. That's certainly what we'll be looking to do."

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Hibs' reward for ending their long wait to lift the Scottish Cup in 2016 was a meeting with Brondby at the same stage of this competition.

The Danes left Easter Road with a 1-0 victory - a first-half goalkeeping howler from Otso Virtanen saw Kamil Wilczec's strike on just 17 seconds go in, but that was the only goal in a pulsating game in Edinburgh.

One week later, in the knowledge they needed at least one goal to force extra-time, David Gray - who scored the famous stoppage-time winner at Hampden - found an equaliser in Copenhagen to take the second leg to a penalty shootout.

Gray hirpled off, but Paul Hanlon, Grant Holt and Martin Boyle were all on hand to net at crunch time.

Scotland midfielder John McGinn put his head above the parapet too, but he was the only player to miss from the spot as Neil Lennon's side crashed out.

Brian McLauchlin in Denmark
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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David Gray has been speaking to the media before Hibs face hosts Midtjylland in the first leg of their Europa League second round qualifier on Thursday night.

Here are the key points:

• Hibs arrived in Denmark after a five-hour delay to their flight from Edinburgh, but Gray is confident the disruption won't affect their preparations.

• He has urged his players to make the most of this "brilliant opportunity to play in Europe", pointing out it "doesn't happen very often in your career potentially".

• The Hibs boss believes Midtjylland, who missed out on the Danish title by a point last season, are a Champions League standard team, adding: "They're a very good side. They've got very good individuals, very well coached."

• Hibs' form in securing a third-place Premiership finish last season gives them belief but they must be at their "maximum" against the Danes.

• Gray has signed four players with summer, including record buy Thibault Klidje, and says the club are still "working hard" on further reinforcements.

• He adds: "The club always needs to try and improve and we're always striving to do that. But it's not just about numbers, it's about bringing the right type of people."

• Gray hasn't given up hope of enticing "big player" Nectar Triantis back after the Sunderland midfielder's two impressive loan spells at Easter Road: "He was brilliant to work with. He's earned the right to go back to his parent club for pre-season there. They're on a different schedule from us as, they started later, so there's always going to be time within these situations to see exactly what the lie of the land is."

Brian McLauchlin in Denmark
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Thomas Thomasberg expects Hibernian to play "with heart and brain" against his Midtjylland side in their Europa League second round qualifying tie.

Underdogs Hibs take on the Danish club at the MCH Arena in Herning on Thursday before the return a week later at Easter Road, where Thomasberg says "everyone struggles" against David Gray's side.

Midtjylland finished runners-up in the Danish Superliga last season and reached the knockout phase play-off round of the Europa League where they lost to Real Sociedad.

Thomasberg is well aware of the threat Hibs pose, telling BBC Scotland: "We know we are meeting a good, strong team who have a lot of qualities.

"We know there is also a great away game, with a good atmosphere, so hopefully we can get as good a result at home as possible.

"We need to be prepared to defend, to be smart and clever because I know Hibs have a good counter-attack.

"If they get to control the game, they can also do something offensively, fill up the box where they have good strikers, but I hope it will go the way we hope and expect.

"It's a club that have been in a very good period, I can see at home everybody struggles against them.

"I know they will play with heart and brain, so we are ready for two interesting games, the first one tomorrow."

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Chris Cadden says "there is a lot of improvement to do" for Hibernian as they prepare to kick off their competitive campaign with a tough trip to Midtjylland.

David Gray's men travel to the Danish club as underdogs in the first leg of their Europa League second-round qualifier.

Hibs concluded their pre-season preparations with a home defeat to English third-tier side Bolton in Darren McGregor's testimonial on Sunday, but Cadden insists his team will be "ready to go" on Thursday.

"We know we need to improve," the versatile wide man told Hibs TV.

"The gaffer's highlighted that as well. But all in all, it's been a good pre-season, so we'll be ready to go on Thursday.

"There's a lot of improvement to do, we know that ourselves, but we're full steam ahead for Thursday, which is the most important thing."

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Can Hibs recover from the "really sore blow" of missing out on automatic European group-stage football by doing it the hard way?

After a third-placed Premiership finish last term, the Edinburgh club have broken their transfer record this summer to secure Togo striker Thibault Kildje from Swiss club Luzern and also added Josh Mulligan, Jamie McGrath and Austrian goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger.

David Gray's side were on the cusp of going directly into the Europa League, only for Aberdeen's shock Scottish Cup win over Celtic in May to consign them instead to the second qualifying round.

As they prepare to face Midtjylland in the first leg in Denmark on Thursday night, Hibs' summer business so far marks a signal of intent, says The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan.

"I think it was a really sore blow for Hibs at the end of last season," McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"They were looking forward to automatic group-stage football, with the possibility of £5m guaranteed, and then Aberdeen snatched it away from them.

"So it's been quite a big investment by them signing a £1m striker for a club which, over the last two seasons, has lost an accumulated £12m. They could really do it with securing group-stage football.

"Midtjylland will be be no mugs. The incentive for Hibs is that they if get through they'll take on Frederikstad of Norway who look very much beatable.

"Rhere's every financial incentive for Hibs to get there because they are throwing the kitchen sink at it in terms of signings and they need to get some money in the door."

We asked for your views on Hibernian's next potential opponents in Europe, should they progress.

Here's what some of you said:

Sam: Partizan Ultras travelling to Edinburgh mid-festival and just after the Oasis concerts, that'll be a quiet night at the library.

Andrew: Full focus must of course be on the very tough tie against Midtjylland. Should we progress, the Europa League draw looks a lot more favourable than the Conference League, with Partizan Belgrade in particular looking an ominous draw. However, the odds are probably stacked against us in our current tie so there's no point getting ahead of ourselves. Can hopefully bring the tie back to Easter road with all to play for there. Hopefully the pre-season has given David Gray an idea of what line-up to play.

Sandy: Everyone seems to be worried about playing teams such as these, but really they are a similar standard to Hibs or why else would they be in qualifying rounds like we are? We can beat Denmark's Midtjylland, and move on, one way, onwards and upwards.

James: A trip to Belgrade sounds like a winner.

Billy: The team looked slack and unfit against Bolton. Concerned they're not ready.

Jon: If we can't beat Bolton Wanderers then it really doesn't matter who we play in Europe.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Hibs will head to Denmark on Thursday as underdogs given their relative recent European results.

The Leith side have failed in six attempts to progress through the qualifiers in the last 15 years, although they did come closest two years ago until Aston Villa ended their dream with an 8-0 aggregate thrashing in the Conference League play-offs.

Hosts Midtjylland, meanwhile, navigated two rounds before losing to Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League play-offs last season - then finished 20th in Europa League, qualifying for the play-off round, where they lost to Real Sociedad.

That explains why the Danes are ranked 71st in Europe - 166 places above Hibs.

Having lost 7-3 on aggregate to Rangers in Europa League qualifying in 2019, their improvement was such that they knocked Celtic out of the Champions League qualifying, 3-2 on aggregate, two years later.

Thomas Thomasberg is in his second spell as head coach and has gathered together a squad with international experience from around the world.

Up front he has Poland's Adam Buksa, South Korea's Cho Gue-sung and Guinea-Bissau's Franculino Dju, who is reportedly of interest to several Premier League clubs.

Zambia's Edward Chilufya is joined in midfield by Denil Castillo, who has just made his Ecuador debut, while another 21-year-old, winger Darío Osorio, plays for Chile and centre-back Lee Han-beom recently debuted for South Korea.

Although Kevin Mbabu did not make it even to Rangers' bench on loan from Newcastle United in 2015, the 30-year-old right-back has since played for Young Boys, Wolfsburg and Fulham while earning 25 caps for Switzerland.

Midtjylland are captained by former Brentford centre-back Mads Bech Sorensen, while veteran goalkeeper Jonas Lossl also played for the Premier League club, as well as Huddersfield Town and Everton.

Like Rangers, David Gray's Hibs have an added incentive to remain in their current competition, with next opponents Fredrikstad of Norway having limited European pedigree.

Drop to the Conference League and they will face one of two sides who finished runners-up in their domestic league - Oleksandriya of Ukraine or Red Star Belgrade of Serbia.

Read the full European round up

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Hibernian will face Norwegian side Fredrikstad in the Europa League third qualifying round should they defeat Midtjylland.

It's a favourable draw for David Gray's side, should they negotiate a tricky test against Midtjylland.

Fredrikstad, who were promoted back to Norway's top flight in 2023, are currently sitting mid-table eighth in the 2025 Eliteserien after finishing sixth last season.

They are in European football for the first time in 15 years and have not won a tie in nine attempts since beating Ajax in their debut in the European Cup back in 1960-61, when they were last league champions.

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Should Hibs lose to Midtjylland, they drop into the Conference League and will face either Oleksandriya of Ukraine or Partizan Belgrade of Serbia.

Oleksandriya finished second in the Ukrainian Premier League to Dynamo Kyiv last season, which earned them this spot in the Conference League.

That was their best finish since they were last crowned champions in 2015, since then they have been in the Europa League three times, reaching the group stage once, in 2019-20.

Partizan, meanwhile, were distant runners-up to city rivals Red Star Belgrade and dropped down from the Europa League following their defeat to Cypriot side AEK Larnaca on penalties.

Hibs fans, what do you make of the draw? Give us your thoughts here.

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Hibernian and Rangers could both face Basiktas or Shakhtar Donetsk in European qualifying after Uefa tweaked the groupings for Monday's third qualifying round draws in its three competitions.

The draws come before Rangers, Hibs and Dundee United play the first legs of their second qualifying round ties this week.

Hibs, who will be seeded, now have four possible Europa League opponents should they defeat Midtjylland.

They could face Wolfsberger (Austria), Fredrikstad (Norway), or the winners of Lugano (Switzerland) against Cluj (Romania) or Celje (Slovenia) against Larnaca (Cyprus).

Should Hibs lose to the Danes, they will face seven possible Europa League qualifying losers in Conference League qualifying...

Beşiktaş or Shakhtar Donetsk, Oleksandriya (Ukraine) or Partizan Beograd (Serbia), Novi Pazar (Serbia) or Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland), Arda Kardzhali 1924 (Bulgaria) or HJK Helsinki (Finland), Hammarby (Sweden) or Charleroi (Belgium) and Baník Ostrava (Czech Republic) or Legia Warsaw (Poland).

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David Gray said "there's a lot of improvement to come" from Hibernian - but the head coach is "not getting too downhearted" by the pre-season defeat to Bolton.

Second-half strikes from the English third-tier side sealed a win at Easter Road in Darren McGregor's testimonial.

The competitive action starts on Thursday for Hibs when they face a tough trip to Midtjylland in the first leg of their Europa League second-round qualifier.

"It wasn't our best, most fluent performance by any means," Gray told Hibs TV. "We all know that. There's a lot of improvement to come.

"We've got a lot of hard work still to be done and we've got a really good game to look forward to on Thursday.

"I'm not getting too downhearted by what I have seen. A lot of good work has been done and I'm happy with the fitness levels of the players."

On former team-mate McGregor, who is now Hibs Under-19s head coach, Gray added: "It's a special day for Darren and his family. I wish we had a better result for him.

"But, on the whole, for what he has done for this club, it was a fitting testimonial and I'm delighted to be part of that for him."

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Midtjylland started their league campaign with a 3-3 draw against Odense BK on Sunday as they prepare for the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against Hibs on Thursday.

Goals from Noah Ganaus and Jay-Roy Grot put OB 2-0 up, before Franculino Dju and Adam Buksa struck in first-half stoppage time to level the scores.

Jann-Fiete Arp scored from the penalty spot to restore OB's lead, but Dju scored his second goal of the game to earn a point for Midtjylland.

Thomas Thomasberg's side finished second in the Danish Superliga last season and reached the knockout phase play-off in the Europa League, where they were beaten by Real Sociedad.

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Hibernian fell to a two-goal defeat to English League One side Bolton in Darren McGregor's testimonial match at Easter Road.

The former Hibs defender was unable to play in the game after being involved in a road traffic accident last month.

New recruits Josh Mulligan and Jamie McGrath started for David Gray's men in the friendly, which was goalless at the interval.

Hibs record signing Thibault Klidje also featured after the break, but he could not inspire the hosts to victory as second-half strikes from Amario Cozier-Duberry and Sonny Sharples-Ahmed earned a win for third-tier Bolton.

The competitive action starts on Thursday for Hibs, who travel to Midtjylland for the first leg of their in Europa League qualifier.

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Allan Delferriere has left Hibernian by mutual consent.

The 23-year-old Belgian defensive midfielder joined the Leith side in February 2022 but made just nine appearances across all competitions.

Delferriere spent time on loan at Edinburgh City, MFK Vystok and Racing FC Union Luxembourg during his three years as a Hibs player.

On his departure, head coach David Gray said: "Allan needs to be playing at this key point in his career and we are not able to give him that opportunity here.

"He's a good person who always worked hard and had a smile on his face, so I would like to thank him for all his efforts. We wish him all the very best for the future."

Blackburn Rovers have dropped their £750,000 move for Hibernian defender Lewis Miller, with the Australia international facing two months out with an injury. (Alan Nixon on X), external

Midtjylland have suffered an injury blow before their Europa League qualifying tie against Hibernian, with Ousmane Diao, 21, ruled out of both legs with a foot problem. (Edinburgh Evening News, external - subscription required)

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"Scary. Tenacious. Very intimidating. A good leader."

Martin Boyle can only be talking about Darren McGregor.

The boyhood Hibs fan who got to live his dream should be all giddy the night before his testimonial at Easter Road on Saturday, but the defender turned coach is instead recovering from a road traffic accident.

McGregor, who won the 2016 Scottish Cup with Hibs, will not play in his own testimonial against Bolton, but former team-mate Boyle is still urging supporters to shout about him on his special day.

"It's unfortunate timing for him," Boyle told Sky Sports.

"We wish him all the best for his recovery and hopefully they turn up in their numbers.

"It will be a great occasion for honouring the man for what he achieved at the club and hopefully he can have that special day."

Boyle played with McGregor for seven years during his first spell at the club and admitted the former Rangers defender "brought the fear factor".

"He was a nightmare, he'd push you and nip you, he'd do everything, pretty much everything, to win," Boyle added.

"He was just intimidating, just playing against him every day in training.

"A down to earth guy, family guy, but when he crossed that line he was just a different mentality.

"He brought that fear factor for everyone."