Aalesund v Motherwell preview

Brown: No changes to squad

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An unchanged Motherwell squad has been named to take on Aalesund in Thursday's Europa League qualifier in Norway.

Manager Craig Brown is expected to field the same side that propelled the Scottish team into the third qualifying round last week with triumph over Breidablik.

Marc Fitzpatrick is in a fitness race after his 2009/10 campaign was ended early by a hamstring injury and has not been included in the travelling party.

Former Scotland boss Brown believes the clash will provide his team with ideal preparation for the upcoming SPL campaign.

"I love games of football," Brown told Well's official website.

"Plus all players would much rather play than train. So we are preparing for the season in the best way possible. This can give us a competitive advantage - we have had two games already and we have another two coming up."

"So we are getting great preparation, without the need to go to Spain, Italy or Switzerland for a strenuous training camp."

To keep their European dream alive, Well must see off a side that are currently fourth in Norway's top flight after 18 games.

Aalesund also boast giant striker Tor Hogne Aaroy, who stands at 6ft 8in, and could prove a threat to the Scottish side following his match-winning assist on Saturday.

The Norweigan club play their football on an artificial surface at the Color Line Stadium, but Brown insists that will not cause a problem for his troops.

"We have looked at the surface, and it is similar to Toryglen (Toryglen Regional Football Centre), where we have trained before," added Brown.

"We have no worries about that factor."