Derek McInnes is optimistic that his Kilmarnock squad has “more than a fighter’s chance” of pulling off an upset in the second leg of their Europa League second qualifying round clash against Cercle Brugge.
The first leg at Rugby Park ended in a 1-1 draw, and more than 2,500 Kilmarnock fans have travelled to Belgium, filled with hope for advancing to the third qualifying round, where they would face either Molde FK from Norway or Denmark’s Silkeborg IF.
Although McInnes acknowledged that Brugge are massively favoured to advance through the tie, he remains confident in his team’s potential to achieve a remarkable result at the Jan Breydel Stadium.
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“Based on the first leg, I think it will be very tight and competitive,” McInnes stated.
“Cercle Brugge are favourites, especially with having the second leg at home, but we feel as if we’ve got more than a fighter’s chance.
“It now becomes a 90-minute game, a one-off cup game and we’re prepared to go the full way if need be, whether it’s extra-time and fitness. We trust our fitness, we trust what we do and we’re looking forward to it.
“You don’t get through these type of European ties without two big performances. One performance isn’t enough. You need to perform in the second leg as well.
“I remind the players of the fact that only Rangers and Celtic have beaten us since December 2. Almost five-and-a-half months of football and the two best teams in our country are the only teams that have beaten us.
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“We know how to compete and make things difficult. I feel we’ve got the performance in us to win the game and it will need to be a top performance to beat this team.
“Brugge are favourites for a reason, they trade on a different level to us. They’ve got obvious advantages over us but I trust my players and I know what I’m going to get.”
Killie are bolstered by the return of Marley Watkins, and McInnes was ecstatic to be able to call on last season's star man.
“It’s a huge boost,” Killie boss explained.
“He was our top goalscorer for us last season. Along with Kyle Vassell they were a brilliant partnership and played a huge part in getting us to where we got to.
“I don’t think the game will be too open. Both teams will have to fight for every part of it.
“We have got to bring everything we have got including the support and hope we can make it not just a memorable trip but a memorable evening for obvious reasons.”
