Odense v Llanelli
Uefa Cup
2nd qualifying round, 1st leg
Thursday, 10 August
Fionia Park, Odense
Kick-off: 1800 BST
Llanelli are expected to give Andy Legg his debut in Thursday's Uefa Cup second qualifying round, first leg in Denmark.
Former Wales defender Legg signed on for the European campaign after the Reds beat Gefle in the first round.
\"He's experienced and we need as many experienced players out here as possible because we're a young squad,\" said Llanelli boss Peter Nicholas.
Few other changes are expected to the side that gave Llanelli victory in their first ever European tie.
Llanelli arrived in Denmark on Tuesday to give themselves an extra day's preparation compared to their trip to Sweden in the first round, where they emerged as 2-1 winners.
Odense knocked Scottish Premier League side Hibernian out of the Intertoto Cup to reach the Uefa Cup qualifying.
The Danes have strengthened this week by signing wing Johan Absalonsen and striker Kim Christensen from Brondby.
Absalonsen is a Denmark Under-21 winger, while 26-year-old Christensen spent 18 months in Germany at SV Hamburg and two seasons in Holland with FC Twente before returning to Denmark and Brondby in 2005.
But Nicholas does not feel the gap in standard between the two sides is too big for Llanelli to bridge.
\"It's obviously going to be harder than the first round because the better teams qualify for the next round,\" he said.
\"But I've been to watch Odense play and watched a recording of their match against Hibs, and I think we've got a fair chance.
\"If we adapt ourselves to a certain way of playing and one or two players listen to what the coaches tell them, hopefully we can pull a result off.\"
The return leg of the tie will be played on 24 August at Swansea City's Liberty Stadium.
Llanelli's regular Stebonheath Park home does not have the capacity to satisfy Uefa regulations.
The Reds hosted first qualifying round victims Gefle at Llanelli Scarlets' Stradey Park rugby ground, but Uefa deemed the venue unsuitable for this stage.
Llanelli v Odense
Llanelli manager Peter Nicholas admits trouble curbing his side's enthusiasm ahead of the Uefa Cup second qualifying round, second leg with Odense.
\"My problem has been trying to hold my players back this week,\" said Nicholas, whose side will carry a one-goal deficit into the Liberty Stadium game.
\"We know what we need to do. It will be tough but this tie is still open.\"
Odense manager Bruce Rioch will be without Norwegian international midfielder Morten Fevang (knee).
Star midfielder Tobias Grahn has returned from injury, though.
\"It means everything to us to win, but some players here need to lift their standards,\" Rioch told the South Wales Evening Post.
Llanelli were held 1-1 at Aberystwyth Town in their Welsh Premier opener on Friday, a game they tried to postpone in order to concentrate on their European ambitions.
Should the Reds overcome Odense, they will advance to the Uefa Cup first round alongside Premiership sides Tottenham, Blackburn and West Ham.
Rangers, Uefa Cup holders Sevilla, French sides Lens and Paris St Germain, German team Bayer Leverkusen and Dutch outfit Feyenoord will also come into the competition at the first-round stage.
Survivors from that stage advance to the first round proper, played over two legs on 14 and 28 September.
Llanelli 1-5 Odense (1-6 agg)
Llanelli crashed out of the Uefa Cup after suffering a heavy home-leg defeat to Danish side Odense.
It started well for Llanelli as Antonio Corbisiero followed up Craig Williams' shot to level the tie on aggregate.
But the Danes took control when Mads Timm turned a cross into the net and Esben Hansen burst forward to score.
Anders Moller Christensen then scored from a corner, Jan Tore Ophaug crashed home a rocket and Bechara Oliveira's last-minute free-kick finished things.
Llanelli had produced a gutsy display in a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Odense that left them in good shape for Thursday night's return, played at Swansea's Liberty Stadium.
Manager Peter Nicholas' game plan seemed to be working perfectly when Corbisiero struck early to level this second qualifying round tie.
A raking diagonal ball over the top found Craig Williams breaking down the right channel off the shoulder of the last defender.
Bounding into the box, Williams' shot was well parried by Arek Onyszko in the Odense goal only for Corbisiero to bash home the rebound.
The Danish side were rocked and should have conceded another goal soon after as Williams hit the crossbar.
It was another fine driving run from the midfielder, who showed great strength and honesty - and perhaps a little naivety - to stay on his feet as he was tugged back only to crash his shot into the woodwork.
But from then on it was all Odense, as Bruce Rioch's side started to stretch their Welsh Premier hosts with pace, movement and incisive passing.
On the quarter-hour mark Timm arrived late in the box to pluck a cross out from between two Llanelli defenders, controlling the ball in one movement to slide home a crucial away goal.
That left Llanelli needing to score twice if they were to win, but a second Odense goal before half-time all but ended the tie.
With Llanelli's backline defending their six-yard box, Hansen's late run from midfield caught them cold and he curled a fine shot into the far corner to give the diving Duncan Roberts no chance.
Odense's third was down to the same error, as Llanelli defended a corner too deep and Christensen was left with too much time from the edge of the area to pick his spot.
Ophaug's fierce shot from a cut-back and a late 25-yard free-kick from Oliveira compounded Llanelli's misery.
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Llanelli: Roberts, Lloyd, Neil Thomas, Stuart Jones (Dale Griffiths 60), Wyn Thomas, Rhys Griffiths, Corbisiero, Harrhy (Mingorance 57), Belle, Craig Williams, Legg (Lewis 64).
Subs Not Used: Gareth Williams, Appleby, Fernandez, Maxwell.
Goals: Corbisiero 10.
Odense BK: Onyszko, Ophaug (Larsen 86), Laursen, Anders Moller Christensen, Mads Timm (Oliveira 78), Grahn, Hansen, Sorensen, Jensen, Borre, Borring.
Subs Not Used: Lindegaard, Sturod, Andreasen, Nielsen.
Goals: Mads Timm 15, Hansen 34, Anders Moller Christensen 59, Ophaug 65, Oliveira 90.
Agg: (1-6)
Att: 2,759
Ref: Dejan Delevic (Serbia & Montenegro).
