EUROPA LEAGUE
are favourites. You just have to play the game in front of you and put in a performance that gets you through, especially when it’s a one- off.”
Viking finished fifth in last season’s Eliteserien on top of winning the Norwegian Cup and Derek McInnes can enl ist the help of Ronald Hernandez, who joined from Stabaek, for the lowdown on their rivals.
But Taylor reckons Viking assistant manager Morten Jensen hasn’t done his homework after claiming their plastic pitch could give them the edge.
He said: “I’m not too sure if he knew we have artificial pitches over here as well and we will deal with it as we normally do when we play on them.
“We will train on our own artificial pitch to get used to it a bit more.”
One advantage for Aberdeen could be the later timing of the tie and Taylor said: “We’ve got a few games under our belt now.
“Before it was pre-season yet you were in a Euro tie straightaway and maybe a bit undercooked.
“I am sure the lads are prepared now and getting into our stride, which should be good for us.
“We’ve come close to the groups a few times so it’s about taking that next step and it would be massive if we could got there.”
But the Light Blues star admits the qualifiers are hazardous as he looks to avoid a repeat of the shock on The Rock suffered by Celtic four years ago.
Steven Gerrard’s men head to Gibraltar for Thursday’s one-off tie against Lincoln Red Imps on the artificial surface of the Victoria Stadium.
Rangers won there without fuss when they defeated St Joseph’s 4- 0 to kick of f a 13-month long Europa League adventure that only ended when they completed their Bayer Leverkusen tie in August. And Kent, who netted the only goal in Portugal against Braga in the previous round to book a date with the German cracks, is backing them to go even further.
But the 23-year-old knows they will have to prepare for the clash against the minnows like any of the Euro big guns they have recently faced.
Brendan Rodgers suffered a 1- 0 loss in his first game as Hoops boss against the same opposition and, with qualifiers now one- off ties, it would be catastrophic for Gers if lightning struck twice.
Kent said: “In a sense this could be the most difficult part of the competition. You can get caught out being complacent against teams where you think you should definitely be winning.
“But we’re looking to kick on each season and improve so we’ll definitely be looking to better our run from last season.
“The gaf fer has insti l led confidence in the players that we can achieve something in this competition.
“It’s exciting for the players to be a part of it. We know it’s a difficult task but, on the back of last season, there’s no reason why we can’t progress further.
“But we won’t overlook any team that we face, especially at this stage. All the players are aware of what it means to the club and the fans to qualify for the Europa League group stage.
“We will treat every game like it’s the same – whether it’s a qualifying round on Thursday or a t e am like Porto.”
Kent made his Liverpool debut on a night when a youthful Reds side almost fell in a David and Goliath FA Cup tie against League Two minnows Exeter City.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, still with the likes of Christian Benteke and Jose Enrique, were forced to come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw and force a replay at Anfield.
It’s a reminder of what can happen and Kent said: “I was one of quite a few young lads making their debut for Liverpool and a lot of lads weren’t used to playing.
“That’s what is great about this stage of the competition – there can always be upsets and that’s what makes it exciting but it’s up to us not to be complacent.
“We’ve got a solid pre-season under our belt and have made a solid start to the season.
“There’s a lot of chemistry in the team and everyone knows it’s an important fixture – it’s up to us not to let people down.”
Following the win in Braga last season, Kent claimed Gers did well in Europe because their underdog tag allowed them to play with more freedom. Skipper James Tavernier reiterated that in his matchday programme notes and his comments led to criticism and accusations that they couldn’t handle the domestic pressure. Kent said: “I wasn’t aware that anyone was angered by those comments but I would still say it is a difficult competition and there isn’t as much expectation to do well as there is domestically. “But we know how important it is so we’ll prepare well for this game, give 100 per cent and hopefully get a good result.
“It’s a competition I want to achieve something in and face the best opposition in Europe. Scoring in Braga for me was a h i g h l i g ht last season. To reach the next round was a big achievement for myself, a big achievement for the football club as well.
“It was great to be a part of that. It made it special with the number of away supporters that we had in Braga that day. That was a special occasion.”