STOPPING COSGROVE WILL BE KEY TO VICTORY FOR BISCAN

FORMER Liverpool defender Igor Biscan has warned his Rijeka players they must stop Sam Cosgrove if they are to have any chance of beating Aberdeen tonight. Biscan has been impressed by the 22-year-old Englishman’s blistering start to the new campaign, which has included eight goals in five appearances for Derek McInnes’ side so far. The Croatian was at Pittodrie last week when Cosgrove bagged his first career hat-trick — against Chikhura Sachkhere of Georgia — and is wary of the huge threat he carries this evening as he looks to add to an incredible tally of 27 goals in his last 33 appearances. ‘The numbers tell everything — it’s impressive,’ said Biscan. ‘He scores at least one goal every game. Not only does he score but he makes other things happen which help his team. ‘He is the one to be wary of and it’s not going to be easy.’ Aberdeen sent shockwaves through Croatian football on their last visit to the Balkans in 2015 when they beat Rijeka 3-0 courtesy of goals from Peter Pawlett, Andrew Considine and Kenny McLean. A draw at Pittodrie then saw the Dons advance 5-2 on aggregate to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. With a spot in the play-off round now up for grabs, Rijeka are fired up for revenge tonight. They have started their season in fine form, winning their first three league matches of the campaign. And Biscan insists the team will not be as complacent as they were four years ago. ‘Rijeka, at that time, were a team on the way up and expanding,’ said Biscan, who became head coach last October. ‘The fans and the media expected an easy win and it proved to be completely different. Even now, the fans and public expect it to be not so difficult. I need to warn them that it’s going to be difficult. ‘Even teams with less quality than Aberdeen will take advantage of complacency. Any slip-ups will cost us dearly. ‘I’m sure it’s going to be a difficult tie. The first game here will tell us about the quality of both teams and we know very well that Aberdeen are strong and competitive. It will be very hard for us to go through. ‘We’ve seen the games they’ve played so far and they are very competitive and aggressive at times. They have some good individuals and we have to be ready to compete. We have to adapt to certain things which are specific to British football. ‘We need to nullify Aberdeen’s strengths and make the most of the things we are good at, like our passing and combination plays. We need to get something out of the game here to make it easier when we go over there.’