Jamie Mulgrew wants Linfield to create another piece of history

Jamie Mulgrew has challenged his Linfield teammates to step up and create their own piece of history when they take on Žalgiris Vilnius in the first qualifying round of the Champions League tonight.
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The captain, who is set to make his 41st European appearance for the Blues, knows his side will be in for a tough test against the current A Lyga leaders, but he feels someone can rise to the occasion and become a hero for David Healy’s men.

“We are realistic, we know how difficult it is going to be but we have to go into the game with belief and not go in already defeated,” said Mulgrew.

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“We have got as much information from the manager and Ross about the opposition and it’s given us an insight about what to expect, what their weaknesses are and what we can do to exploit it.

Linfield captain Jamie MulgrewLinfield captain Jamie Mulgrew
Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew

“As long as we take that on board and perform the way we did in the last few years then I’ve no doubt we will come out on the right side.

“It’s a night when someone can make themselves a hero. That’s why we’re all here, that’s what we all dream of to make our own history.

“I’ve been here for quite a while now and been involved in squads that have created their own piece of history for themselves and the club.

“That’s what we’re wanting to do now.”

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The Blues are also hoping to put last year’s European disappointment behind them.

A narrow 1-0 defeat to Polish side Legia Warsaw saw them drop into the Europa League qualifiers, where they surprisingly lost to Maltese side Floriana.

“It was disappointing to get beat at home last year and if we’re being honest we got what we deserved. We didn’t perform that night,” said Mulgrew.

“Our record away from home in the last couple of years has been positive and we feel we can carry that on.

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“We’re looking to replicate the European run we had a couple of years ago.

“As the years have gone on, ourselves and other Irish League teams have become a lot more competitive in Europe.

“We’re looking to get another positive result tomorrow night and a result which will give us something to fight for next week.

“We’re under no illusions how good this team is, their coefficient is higher and they’re well into their league season, but we have an opportunity and we certainly have belief in each other.”

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