Larne's 'keep it alive' Champions League qualifying target from San Marino test with Tre Fiori
Manager Gary Haveron has challenged his Larne squad to keep European dreams alive for the return leg at home across Tuesday’s Champions League test in San Marino.
The Irish League champions tackle Tre Fiori across the first qualifying round before next week hosting the second leg.
Describing their opponents as “a formidable team”, Haveron knows the importance the home faithful can play if the tie is still competitive upon the crunch second-leg meeting at Inver Park.
“They're a team that play a back three, they play five across the midfield and they've got a big striker that holds it in and gets them up the park,” said Haveron of Tre Fiori. “I think we could find ourselves out there maybe having a good bit of possession…so we've got to try and take advantage of that. They're a very, very hard team to break down.
“I think they only lost one game in their league campaign last year and took 70 points in a shorter format this season.
“I think you can't go gung-ho and leave the back door open. You need to keep it alive for the second game. You need to be competitive and within an arm's reach of them.
“It's going to make a big difference for us being at home in the second leg. We need to make sure we have something to bring back here to keep that game really competitive.”
A success over two legs would set-up a mouth-watering clash against Red Star Belgrade, as well as a guaranteed play-off for the Conference League should they then be eliminated in both the Champions League and Europa League.
It means Larne can earn big money for their European exploits and Haveron is keen to give the club’s owners a return on their investment.
He added: “The more money we put into the club, the less money our owners have to put in.
“That is our responsibility as a club. In terms of the football staff, they do so much for us, so it's only fair that we try to give it back.
“The way we can give it back is by getting positive results. That means they don't have to put as much money in because every club has to work towards being sustainable.
“This is a great opportunity for us to show the owners that we're playing our part.”