Motherwell will take on Panathinaikos at their own game

Football Writer

Tuesday 7 August 2012

DARREN RANDOLPH believes Motherwell need to replicate Panathinaikos' performance at Fir Park last week if they are to have any chance of progressing in the Champions League.

Darren Randolph

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Graeme Macpherson

The Greeks racked up a two-goal first-leg advantage by soaking up pressure and hitting successfully on the counter- attack, a tactic Motherwell will now try to adopt in the Olympic Stadium in Athens tomorrow night.

Few have given Stuart McCall's side a chance of reaching the play-off round and Randolph thinks that lack of pressure could work in their favour. "It will be similar to the way they played here," said the goalkeeper. "We'll sit in and try to soak up some pressure, keep it 0-0 as long as possible, then try to hit them on the break the way they did to us. Hopefully, they'll be thinking the game's over and if we get one, hopefully we'll get the chance to get another."The ground itself is similar to Hampden. The fans are not on top of you, and, being the away team, we want to keep it tight early on and frustrate them and the crowd, and hope the crowd turn on them, especially if we can nick a goal. They might get edgy, and who knows what can happen from there."It's a big night for everybody, starting from the front. They are going to have to get through 10 players, 11 including myself, so we will make it hard for them. There's no real expectation on us and it was the same in the first leg. "Panathinaikos are not as big as they used to be but they are still a massive club. We shouldn't be nervous, we should just go out and play and cause them problems."Randolph has been having treatment for a back injury sustained on the three-hour journey from Dingwall following Saturday's league opener away to Ross County. "I just felt it on the bus and when I woke up yesterday I couldn't get out of bed," he admitted. "I've come in for treatment and it should be okay. I trained [yesterday] but I've got two big strips of tape on my back at the moment. I think I'll be walking around the plane [to Athens] for a few hours."Winger Chris Humphrey has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Omar Daley and Tom Hateley face late fitness tests.

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Motherwell will take on Panathinaikos at their own game

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