David Gray says Hibs need to match first-leg display to keep Europa League dream alive

Hibernian boss David Gray has told his players that they will need to at least replicate their first-leg performance to stand any chance of getting past Midtjylland.

The Edinburgh side left Denmark with a 1-1 draw in their Europa League qualifier last week and are now preparing for the return leg at Easter Road.

Gray is delighted that the tie is still alive to set up an exciting European night in Leith, but knows the job is far from done against a dangerous side.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “I think all we could hope for from the first leg was to make sure we were still in the tie and had something to play for at home, and knowing what that would mean for the support.

“We have European football back at Easter Road, and as you would expect the players have trained really well and are full of confidence.

“We take a lot of confidence from the first game but we are also very quick to remind the players that it is only half-time in the tie and still a really difficult challenge.

“Just because we done so well over there, it doesn’t make it any easier now we are at home. They are a top team who have played in the Champions League, but at the same time we can take confidence from the performance we produced on the night last week.

“We will need to make sure we at least replicate that level of performance on Thursday.”