Caley Thistle chairman Kenny Cameron expects manager John Hughes to raid his contacts book for the lowdown on the club’s European opponents Astra Giurgiu.
The Scottish Cup holders will make their Europa League debut against the Romanians in the second qualifying round following yesterday’s draw in Nyon.
For Astra, the draw presents them with a rapid return to Scotland after they played Celtic in the group stages of the competition last season.
Cameron expects Hughes to use his connection to Hoops assistant manager John Collins, who he worked with at Livingston, to glean as much information as he can on the club’s opponents.
The Inverness chairman said: “Astra have been in the Europa League qualifiers in both 2013 and 2014, so they have a slight advantage in terms of European experience but I am sure John and the players will be ready to meet the challenge.
“Astra played against Celtic last season, holding them to a 1-1 draw in Giurgiu, with Celtic winning the reverse fixture 2-1, so they have experience of playing in Scotland.
“No doubt John will speak to John Collins to get the lowdown on them as we prepare for the game.
“This is a totally new experience for our club as we make our first appearance in European competition but it is an experience we all look forward to and will relish the challenge.”
The first leg will be on July 16 at Caledonian Stadium and Cameron is relieved the draw has given the club as much time as possible to compile a dossier on their European opponents.
He said: “It is a big advantage that we now know who we play and are not waiting on the results from the first-round games to find out who our opponents are.
“We hope to issue information tomorrow regarding the ticket prices for the home leg and it is our intention, subject to Uefa confirmation, that tickets will be on sale from Wednesday to our usual priority groups.
“We look forward to welcoming Astra Giurgiu in front of a bumper crowd at the stadium to cheer the team in our first competitive game since our historic trip to Hampden and the resultant William Hill Scottish Cup win.
“Astra will receive a very warm Highland welcome both on and off the park and we look forward to an exciting game in what promises to be another historic night for our club and the city of Inverness.”