Fors future reference .. I won’t take Euro rivals for granted
HIBS v RUNAVIK Lewis: I feel better about Emil torment now he’s World star
Lewis Stevenson had never heard of Emil Forsberg.
But after a 7-0 Europa League mauling at the hands of Malmo, the Hibs man will never forget him.
That’s why it’s no real surprise to him that the Swedish midfielder is not only starring at the World Cup in Russia but is now a £50million target for Arsenal.
And for Stevenson, Forsberg’s emergence is another timely reminder of the surprises that can lie in store when you venture into Europe.
Back in 2013, Malmo ripped the Hibees apart at Easter Road to secure a mammoth 9-0 aggregate win. Their players might not have been household names but the likes of Forsberg and defender Pontus Jansson are now excelling at RB Leipzig and Leeds.
So as Neil Lennon’s men prepare for a foray into the unknown, with Faroes minnows NSI Runavik visiting Leith on Thursday, Stevenson is taking nothing for granted.
Hibs were made to work hard for a 2-0 friendly victory over Junior outfit Linlithgow Rose last week so the newly capped Scotland left-back won’t get complacent so early in the new campaign.
Stevenson said: “We’ll be expected to win the tie against a team from the Faroe Islands but it’s not as simple as that.
“We played Linlithgow last week and they gave us a good game. So you can make a match as hard as you want for yourself.
“The Europa League game will be tough. We’ve had some hard ties in Europe over the years.
“We played Maribor who were unheard of at the time but they’ve