Caley Thistle manager John Hughes is looking for a hero in tonight’s Europa League qualifier against FC Astra.
Inverness trail the Romanians 1-0 after the first leg in the Highlands with Caley Thistle given little or no chance of progressing on their European debut.
Hughes, pictured, has taken heart from Astra’s 5-1 thrashing against Targu Mures in Liga I on Sunday, but has warned his players must resist the urge to attack from the off, insisting his team must remain patient and retain its shape.
Hughes added: “We’re ready. It’s one of those ties that, with the scoreline and them being at home, I wonder how they’ll play the game. They might be a bit vulnerable after conceding five at the weekend.
“We don’t have to go on an all-out attack, we need to be cautious and keep ourselves in the game and then we’re looking for a hero. Someone has to come up with the goods to make sure we manage to get the goals and the result.”
Heat will be a factor. The squad trained at the Giulesti-Valentin Stadium in Bucharest last night but will play in the Marin Anastasovici Stadium in nearby Giurgiu tonight with temperatures expected to exceed 30C, despite the match being moved back to 9pm local time.
Hughes will bargain for a water break, which referee Artyom Kuchin of Kazakhstan can stop the match for if both clubs agree to it prior to the match, as happened in Aberdeen’s 3-0 Europa League win against Rijeka in Croatia last Thursday.
Hughes expects the heat to be an additional challenge for his players as Inverness try to reverse the 1-0 first-leg defeat, inflicted by Constantin Budescu’s free kick in last week’s game at the Caledonian Stadium, and said: “We had a chance to train, we’ve checked the rules and there’s a chance we might stop for a water break.
“If not, then if anyone goes down injured we can get the water on. It’s just tricks of the trade when we’re playing in Europe – we have to be clever.
“We’ve dotted every i and crossed every t in terms of preparation with both our food and hydration.”