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Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough is eagerly anticipating the prospect of coming up against Molde in the Second Qualifying Round of this season’s Champions League and believes his side can spring a surprise.

The back-to-back Norwegian champions come up against the reigning League of Ireland title holders with the favourites tag, something the Sligo boss does not dispute, with the first leg to be played at the Showgrounds on 16/17 July and the return game a week later and he is already eagerly anticipating the contest.

“My initial thoughts on the draw are definitely of excitement as everyone at the club is. However, we do know that we have quite a few games to go before it but it is a tie that everyone is relishing and really looking forward to but it also one that we think that we can do well in, no doubt,” he told Extratime.ie.

“We know that we go into the game as underdogs and we accept that. Norway are doing well as a nation too at the moment and just look at their performances in the U21 European Championships which shows how well they are developing talent there.”

Molde are currently occupying the relegation places in their domestic league having won just two of their opening 13 league games and the Bit o’ Red believes that it could possibly be something of a false league position.

He continued: “I haven’t saw much of them this season and I know that they are down near the bottom of the table but make no mistake that they are a very good side and we know that they will be the favourites but we are really looking forward to this challenge.”

One familiar face within the MFK camp is boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer who starred for Manchester United and Norway across a glittering professional career.

In a curious coincidence, when Baraclough was gaining his UEFA A-licence, he did so alongside ‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ and is looking forward to seeing him once again and spoke very highly of his coaching skills.

“It is quite a strange twist of fate actually that I actually did my A licence coaching badges with Ole Gunnar! He was a lovely man and it was great to see him there considering that it was the summer after he had won the Champions League with Manchester United,” Baraclough revealed.

“He is a nice guy but also very clever and passionate about the game and for his first full time job, he has hasn’t done too badly in Europe and winning the league domestically so I am very much looking forward to it.”

In terms of travel for the game, while Sligo could have been handed worse trips to further flung reaches of the continent, they may still have to get connecting flights to reach the 11,800 capacity Aker Stadion but the former Scunthorpe United boss believes his team will still have a good away support following them.

“We will maybe have to get two flights over so in terms of travel it is still quite a distance to go from Oslo onwards but I know that the whole town is really looking forward to it and fans are already excited about seeing us in action in both games,” he said.

“I have never been to Norway before so it will be a first for me so it will be good to get over there and pit out wits against them. The flights websites have already been looked at and I am sure that even over there we will have a big following with us because of the buzz that this match has created.”

The two fixtures come at a difficult time domestically for Sligo given that in that period they face tricky games at home to table-topping St Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers as well as a tough trip to Drogheda but Baraclough insists this is why they have built such a big squad but also had a stern message for anyone whose mind may already be wandering to their illustrious European fixtures.

“This is why we have a massive squad and high quality players here for dealing with the fixtures at a time like this and that starts with Shelbourne this Friday,” stated the Sligo Rovers man. “Forget the Champions League though, that will not be on our minds because we have to go to Tolka Park and try to beat Shels on Friday so we have to put the Champions League out of our minds.”

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