DANIEL ANDERSSON today tipped Hibs to overcome the odds by knocking Swedish side IF Elfsborg out of the InterToto Cup.
Although Mixu Paatelainen has claimed the Swedes are favourites, former Easter Road goalkeeper Andersson insisted his old club shouldn't be written off.
And, with either Latvian outfit FK Riga or Dublin side Bohemians awaiting the winners of the t
wo-legged tie, the first match of which takes place at Easter Road on Sunday, Andersson believes Hibs can take a massive stride towards UEFA Cup football.
Although he warned it will be tough – Elfsborg are second in the Allsvenskan having lost just once in 11 matches – while Hibs will be playing for the first time this season, Andersson has an inkling the Edinburgh side will triumph.
He said: "Elfsborg are a very good, technical team. But, in my opinion, Hibs have a good chance of beating them.
"Of course they should be treated with respect, but I don't think Elfsborg will be comfortable if Hibs can sustain a real tempo from start to finish. I think Elfsborg would rather bring the pace of the game down to suit themselves and only lift it now and then.
"Elfsborg will also have the advantage of their season being underway, which is a factor. Although the league in Sweden was suspended for Euro 2008, teams were still playing friendlies and cup matches but, while Hibs haven't played yet this season, I still think they have a good chance."
Key to progressing, claimed Andersson, would be keeping a clean-sheet in Edinburgh, pointing to how Hibs' interest in the competition was brought to an end two years ago by the away goals rule by OB Odense.
He said: "Not conceding a goal at Easter Road would mean a lot as Hibs would then head to the Boras Arena the following week with Elfsborg knowing an away goal would cause them big problems."
Hibs will face an added difficulty when they travel to Sweden for the second leg a week on Saturday with the match to be played on a plastic pitch – but Andersson was delighted to hear such a surface won't be totally alien to his old club following the opening of their £5million training centre.
He said: "It was fantastic to learn that Hibs had invested so heavily in their own training ground rather than using different places as was the case during my two seasons with the club.
"Personally, I don't like plastic pitches, I believe football should always be played on grass. But the fact the players can train on plastic before they leave Edinburgh for Boras next week can only help them."
Part of Paatelainen's reasoning in entering the InterToto was to give his squad some much-needed exposure to European football, of which Elfsborg have plenty of experience having made it to the third qualifying round of last season's Champions League before dropping into the group stages of the UEFA Cup.
In former Southampton star Anders Svensson they also have plenty of experience, the midfielder having taken his caps tally to beyond 90 during the Swedes' short Euro 2008 campaign in which he was joined by team-mate goalkeeper Johan Wiland.
Elfsborg also have familiar names such as Teddy Lucic, once of Bayer Leverkusen, Leeds United and Bologna, and Mattias Svensson who played in England with Norwich City, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.
But Andersson, now back in his homeland playing alongside Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United legend Henrik Larsson at Helsingborgs, identified winger Stefan Ishizaki as the Elfsborg dangerman.
The 26-year-old, whose father is Japanese, was born in Stockholm and starred for his hometown club AIK and spent a spell on loan with Genoa in Italy before returning to help Elfsborg win the Allsvenskan in 2006.
Andersson said: "To my mind Ishizaki is their most dangerous player. He is really creative, he is the fastest in their team and has the pace to get down that right wing and provide quality ball into the box.
"Anders Svensson is a good midfield player who did well in Euro 2008 but, while he possesses a good strike, he is a more defensive player. If Hibs can shut both him and Ishizaki down then they'll do their cause a whole lot of good."
It may be four years since Andersson last pulled on a Hibs shirt, but he revealed he still keeps in close touch with events at Easter Road – helped by Larsson.
He said: "Henrik has a huge satellite dish in his backyard, I think he can get every channel in the world on it.
"He takes in a lot of Celtic matches, of course, as well as Scottish football in general so we always have a good bit of banter in the dressing-room.
"I'm always keen to find out what is happening at Hibs because I had two memorable years there. The fans were terrific to me and I believe they can also play a part at Easter Road on Sunday with the noise they make."
As such, Andersson is well aware of the massive changes which have taken place at his old club with the likes of Garry O'Connor, Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Gary Caldwell and Steven Whittaker, pictured, all part of the side which dumped both Celtic and Rangers out of the CIS Insurance Cup having departed.
Andersson, who sensationally saved a spot-kick from Mikel Arteta in the semi-final against Rangers before Hibs went on to win in a penalty shoot-out provoking that iconic photograph of rapturous Easter Road stars bursting from the centre circle as Frank de Boer's effort smacked off the post, admitted: "I don't really know any of the players there now.
"Steven Fletcher was a young lad just starting to move up and it's great to see him doing so well.
"It was quite an extraordinary generation of young players to have at the one time and I could see a lot of them getting big-money moves.
"I'm not surprised they have done so because the likes of Garry, Derek and Scott were real quality." Andersson's own CIS adventure ended in tears as Livingston beat Hibs in the final, but he disclosed he was overjoyed to see the Edinburgh club lift the trophy under John Collins 16 months ago.
He said: "It was a tough blow for us to take, beating Celtic and then Rangers only to lose the final. But I saw them win the cup on the internet and it was fantastic to see those Hibs fans at Hampden singing their hearts out."
And Andersson has no doubt Paatelainen can bring further success to his old club. He said: "Mixu was at Hibs during my first season at the club and was a great player to have around.
"He did well back home in Finland as a manager – we've had some Finnish players in on trial and to them Mixu is a legend – and I'm sure he'll do just was well as boss at Easter Road."
The full article contains 1178 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
