Larne boss tells players to enjoy ‘special occasion’ against Red Star Belgrade

Larne boss Gary Haveron is relishing the opportunity to pit his underdogs against the 1991 European Cup winners

The stars have aligned for Larne as the Irish League champions prepare for a glamour tie at Inver Park on Tuesday evening.

Red Star Belgrade are in town for the first leg of their Champions League qualifier and Larne boss Gary Haveron is relishing the opportunity to pit his underdogs against the 1991 European Cup winners.

With Champions League winner Dejan Stankovic in the dugout and Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic – fresh from scoring twice at the World Cup – leading the line, the visitors are huge favourites to progress.

Haveron, however, is embracing the challenge of facing a club who have won the last nine Serbian top-flight titles, insisting it is the sort of occasion Larne should relish.

He said: “It is simply one of those games where you have to try and enjoy the occasion.

“To host such a big, prestigious club like Red Star is a special occasion for the club and the town of Larne itself.

“I’ve always said that if you can’t draw a competitive tie, then you want a glamorous one and we’ve certainly got that with Red Star.

“I’m an Irish League fan and when you look at some of the historical games in Europe, Glentoran have faced the likes of Benfica and Juventus, Linfield have taken on Celtic and Copenhagen, then you look at Crusaders, who have met Fulham and Wolves recently.

“So that’s what you’re hoping for if you want a glamour tie.

“As a club, you want to test yourself against the best and Red Star are certainly a powerhouse domestically and a big name around Europe.”

Haveron knows eliminating Red Star over two legs is a huge ask, but Larne’s 3-1 aggregate victory over Tre Fiori of San Marino has guaranteed them an extended spell in Europe.

Defeat against the Serbian champions would send them into the third qualifying round of the Europa League, with a Conference League play-off awaiting if they are eliminated again.

The Inver boss said: “We aren’t naive. We know our level and we are realistic about our chances over the two legs, but we want to give a good account of ourselves.

“When you get to this stage, you know the quality levels of the teams are going to be good.

“We’ll pay them respect, but we’ll try to impose ourselves on the game and see what we can do.

“We’re maybe not shoulder to shoulder with them, but while we’re on the pitch we’ll try our best to get a result.

“Our aggregate win against Tre Fiori has guaranteed another six games in Europe, which is amazing for the club and our fans.”

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.