Glasgow City chase Europa Cup place - watch on BBC

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Europa Cup - second qualifying round, second leg: Glasgow City v HB Koge (1-2)

Where: Petershill Park, Glasgow When: Wednesday 15 October Kick-off: 19:35 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC Sport website & iPlayer

Glasgow City head coach Leanne Ross insists she is "thriving" on the test of chasing a place in the Europa Cup.

To reach the knockout phase of the inaugural tournament, the SWPL leaders must overcome a 2-1 deficit at home to Danish side HB Koge on Wednesday.

The match is live on the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer, with kick-off at 19:35 BST.

"To be on the sidelines and making decisions in that live game, the pressure is on at that moment in time," said Ross, who captained City in the Champions League as a player.

"But I've got a good supportive staff here that chip in a lot in that respect. It's a challenge that I'm thriving on."

Juggling European and domestic action is something that Ross is fast becoming accustomed to.

Following the narrow defeat in Denmark last week she made nine changes to her starting line-up for Sunday's 2-0 win over Partick Thistle.

"It's difficult," Ross told BBC Scotland. "The games are really close together, so we don't have the opportunity to train a lot.

"It's making sure that each player is as prepared as they can be individually and then making sure that we can select the right team for each game."

Ross is expecting another tough match against HB Koge, but hopes her players have learned enough from the first leg to stop "a good attacking team".

Mille Gejl's stunning opener for the hosts was cancelled out by Amy Anderson's close-range finish last week, but Olivia Garcia's thundering second-half strike gave the Danes a deserved victory.

Ross explained: "It was difficult for us to build in the way that we wanted to over there and get out and play the football that we want to play.

"So we now have that experience to use on Wednesday and a little bit more information from the game itself. So we'll be looking to do better in terms of possession. But I thought we defended really well."

Having been part of the City playing squad that reached the women's Champions League quarter-finals on two occasions [2014-15 and 2019-20] Ross is well aware of the benefits and rewards of playing on the European stage.

"It's great," she said. "As a player, I loved the experiences of playing in the Champions League against some of the top teams and top opponents. So, for us to be able to give that opportunity to our players is really important.

"And then they go between different competitions as well. It's knockout football, and then you come back to league business, the mindset has to be slightly different.

"It's a challenge for everyone, but it's one that we're really enjoying."

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