Motherwell vs HB Torshavn Predictions
Motherwell begin their European campaign against HB Torshavn at Fir Park on Thursday.
The Scots have been out of action since May but should still have far too much quality for their Faroes opponents.
A home win with three goals or more looks like a solid choice at Fir Park.
Motherwell Tipped to Bag High-Scoring Win
- Motherwell have seen over 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 8 matches
- Motherwell won 13 of their last 21 home matches
- Motherwell won their last 2 matches against HB Torshavn
- HB Torshavn have seen over 2.5 goals in 8 of their last 10 matches
- HB Torshavn lost 9 of their last 10 away matches (European competitions)
Scots Lead H2H Record
Motherwell and HB Torshavn have met on one previous occasion in European competitions. The Scots claimed a 7-1 aggregate victory in the UEFA Cup 31 years ago.
Motherwell Begin New Era
Motherwell face their first fixture of the season under Alfred Johansson, who takes charge of his first competitive fixture after replacing Jens Berthel Askou.
The Steelmen have completed two warm-up fixtures ahead of their return action, slipping to a 4-0 defeat against AGF before a 4-3 reversal against Genk.
Motherwell finished fourth in last season's Scottish Premiership to secure their return to European football for the first time since 2022.
Under former boss Berthel Askou, the Steelemen enjoyed their best Premiership season in a generation, with the Well briefly flirting with an unlikely title challenge.
The Scots are bidding to reach the group phase in European competition for the first time in their history. The Steelmen suffered a painful 3-0 aggregate defeat against Sligo Rovers in their most recent European campaign four years ago.
Usually strong at Fir Park, Motherwell picked up 13 wins from 21 home games last season, including a famous win against Celtic.
HB Torshavn Face Major Test
HB Torshavn arrive in Scotland more than two weeks since their last competitive fixture. The Faroes outfit picked up back-to-back 4-1 wins against Skala IF and 07 Vestur in their most recent fixtures.
Already midway through their domestic season, HB have picked up some form after a slow start to their campaign. Torshavn won their last three domestic fixtures after picking up just four wins from their first 13 league games of the season.
While experienced at the European level, the Faroes side’s road record is less than impressive. HB lost 29 and won just one of 35 away continental fixtures since 1994.
Like the hosts, high-scoring outcomes have been frequent for Łukasz Cieslewicz’s side. The visitors have seen at least three goals scored in ten of their last 14 games. Four of their five most recent fixtures finished with four goals or more.
Motherwell vs HB Torshavn Team News
Motherwell: (4-2-3-1) Alex Paulsen; Tom Sparrow, Oscar Priestman, Olly Whyte, Martin Moormann; Elijah Just, Lukas Fadinger; Willy Vogt, Ibrahim Said, Regan Charles-Cook; Luca Ross.
Motherwell boss Johansson has several new faces available for Thursday’s Conference League contest. Alex Paulsen and Willy Vogt are among those expected to make their competitive debut for the Scots.
Dylan Williams is the latest recruit to join the club, and Johansson expressed his delight at the signing of the former Chelsea and Derby youth player.
"A humble young man, Dylan has been in first-team environments since he broke into the Derby County team at a young age," said Johannsson.
"He is an incredibly mature man, and we've had some excellent discussions about what we want Dylan to do in our system.
"He is an attack-minded and exciting defender, but most importantly, he works incredibly hard for his teammates."
HB Torshavn: (4-5-1) Bjarti Mork; Heri Mohr, Aki Johannesen, Per Magnus Steiring, Asi Dam; Noah Mneney, Stefan Radosavljevic, Mathias Voss, Dan i Soylu, Heini Sorensen; Jakup Thomsen.
HB boss Cieslewicz is expected to name the same first XI that eased past 07 Vestur earlier this month.
Top scorer Storm Pettersen remains sidelined for the visitors.