Well in dark about Danish opponents

Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan admits even manager Craig Brown`s meticulous preparations can only tell them so much ahead of their Europa League encounter with Danish side Odense.

Former Scotland manager Brown's tactical acumen has helped Motherwell get past Icelandic league leaders Breidablik and Norwegian cup holders Aalesund with the loss of just one goal, which came courtesy of a soft penalty.

Motherwell seem better prepared in tactical terms for a difficult European encounter than they were in the past two seasons, but Craigan said: "We`ll not really know until the game starts. You can set up all you want but we`re not too sure how they are going to play."

He added: "We had them watched last week and they changed their formation a couple of times throughout the play.

"Are we in better shape? I don`t know, I`ll tell you 10 minutes into the game.

"The first 10 or 15 minutes will determine how we`re going to play and what the opposition is like.

"You can watch as many DVDs as you like, but until you see them in the flesh you can`t judge how difficult it`s going to be.

"I think we`re underdogs again, I think we were underdogs in the last round. Four-one flattered us against Aalesund but I think we need a similar performance.

"I hope it`s not going to be a rearguard action, it`s important to try and get a goal away from home. Sometimes it`s easier said than done."