Source: Team_Talk
Hughes expects a Fulham cruise
Aaron Hughes admits he does not know too much about Fulham's Europa League opponents NSI Runavik - but is not expecting an upset.[LNB] The Cottagers began pre-season last week in preparation for Thursday's first-round tie at Craven Cottage against the team from the Faroe Islands.[LNB]Hughes is one of a handful of players within the Fulham squad to have played a side from the Nordic country, having drawn 1-1 against their national team with Northern Ireland last October.[LNB]But despite almost coming a cropper on international duty, the defender does not expect too much pressure from the opponents.[LNB]"I don't know a great deal about them," he said. "We have not had a chance to look at them too much this week because it has more been about preparation on the football pitch and a little bit of top-up on fitness.[LNB]"I guess in the meeting before the game anything that the lads inside have found they will highlight and give us an idea before we go out.[LNB]"It is as much about focusing about what we do and making sure we do all the basic things right, which should be enough to take us through."[LNB]Fulham are 1/100 with some bookies to win the match, while the visitors are priced by some as 66/1 to spring an upset.[LNB]The odds come as no surprise seeing as NSI hail from a town of just 4,000 inhabitants and are made up of part-time players, including a teacher and trainee telephone salesman.[LNB]Club captain and star player Christian Hogni Jacobsen has even admitted that Fulham would need to have an "incredibly bad day" for them to have any chance of victory.[LNB]The Londoners' expected dominance could go someway to explaining why more than 12,000 tickets have already been sold for this evening's clash - and recently-appointed manager Martin Jol is hoping to entertain those that turn out.[LNB]"I do not want to concede too many goals and play attractive football because that is what our supporters want," he said of the approach he is bringing to the club.[LNB]"That is probably the same at Spurs. You have a kind of culture and style that you play for the crowds and that is what we try to do here.[LNB]"We have got a few youngsters in the squad so of course there is four or five players not here, they are on holiday so it is a nice opportunity for these youngsters to show and prove themselves.[LNB]"I can't imagine going out in the first round but it is football so you never know.[LNB]"You could say that it is 90% sure that we go through but you still have to do the business and our players know that."
