Mark McGhee rates �AS Nancy as a weaker proposition than Rangers or Celtic but believes Motherwell will still need to play at their best to have any chance of beating them in the first leg of the sides� UEFA Cup first-round tie.

Mark McGhee rates AS Nancy as a weaker proposition than Rangers or Celtic but believes Motherwell will still need to play at their best to have any chance of beating them in the first leg of the sides' UEFA Cup first-round tie in the Stade Marcel Picot tomorrow evening, writes Graeme Macpherson.

The Motherwell manager has studied Nancy's recent performances on DVD, and has received scouting reports. He is well aware of the task facing his side. "They are not on the same par as the Old Firm, maybe level with the rest of the SPL sides at best," he said. "However, we have to expect to play well to beat them.

"It is possible it will end after one round, because we are playing against a good team. We have been over there and watched them on DVD and it is possible they will beat us. If we don't go through, I don't think we can start wailing and gnashing."

Tomorrow's tie represents McGhee's first as a manager but he hopes that playing in Europe under Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen will stand him in good stead. "Aberdeen hadn't won the league for a while, so it was all new to us all and it was Fergie who guided us through it. One of the things about him was that he was a brilliant learner, and I kept it in mind.

"When he watched a side, he had a grasp of what they were and who they were. I have tried to do that as well and got to know the opposition intimately."

David Clarkson is looking forward to his first European tie having survived the lean times at Fir Park. He was a youth player when the club went into administration in 2002 and flirted with relegation. "If you were to say Motherwell had a chance of reaching the group stage of the UEFA Cup a couple years ago, no-one would have thought it. I've been here five or six years and it's great to have that opportunity.

"To come this far, finishing third in the league and playing in the UEFA Cup is unbelievable."