We didn't want Coleraine insist European opponents

The manager of Coleraine's opponents in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference league says the Bannsiders were one of the clubs they were hoping to avoid.
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Oran Kearney's men were paired with FK Velez from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday's draw and it seems their reputation precedes them.

Speaking to the N1 news channel Feđa Dudić says the Bannsiders' exploits in Europe last year when they reached the second qualifying round of the Europa League, knocking out European regulars NK Maribor along the way meant they were one they wanted to avoid.

"We didn't want Coleraine primarily because it's far away, and that same Coleraine knocked out Maribor last year and we know they were champions," he told the Bosnia and Herzegovina news outlet.

The draw took place on TuesdayThe draw took place on Tuesday
The draw took place on Tuesday

"After the extra time, it was 1: 1 and it is not a harmless team. However, we did not want Domžale. We are certainly happy about that.

"We will try to gather information about the opponent and to prepare as well as possible for that match.

"We know how all the teams play, especially those from Northern Ireland - we know what to expect.

"We will certainly not give up on our style of play and we will try to reach the desired result through that style of play," added Dudić, whose side have qualified for Europe for the first time in 33 years.

Coleraine will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first leg on July 8 with the return leg being played at Mourneview Park on July 15 as work continues at The Showgrounds to install a new synthetic pitch.

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