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Edinburgh City make their second visit to Fir Park on Tuesday night, as they continue their Betfred Cup campaign.

Motherwell are making their first competitive appearance of the season against the capital side. Here’s some things you need to know about our opponents.

Experience in their ranks

For a League Two club, Edinburgh City contain plenty top flight experience. Conrad Balatoni has 93 Premiership games under his belt with Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock, and former Hibernian man Danny Handling played 55 times in the top league.

Manager James McDonaugh brings valuable experience to the role, having coached at Hibs before taking over at Ainslie Park in October 2017.

Familiar foes

This isn’t the first time Motherwell and Edinburgh City have met in the group stage of the Betfred Cup. On their way to the 2017/18 final, the Steelmen traveled to Ainslie Park off the back of two wins in their opening two games.

After going a goal down to their hosts, Motherwell rallied and came from behind to win 2-1 in the capital through goals from Elliott Frear and Chris Cadden. Stephen Robinson’s men had to work hard for the three points though, with the two goals coming in the final five minutes of the game.

The Citizens have also played once before at Fir Park. In an Irn-Bru Cup match in 2016, they took on Motherwell’s Colts team, losing 2-1 to goals from Dylan Mackin and Tom Fry.

They’ve already been in action

Edinburgh City picked up two points from their opening game, after drawing with Clyde and grabbing the bonus point thanks to a 4-1 win in the penalty shootout.

Balatoni netted the opener and the side from the capital led until the 95th minute, when Martin McNiff levelled for the hosts.

A number of the new recruits for Tuesday’s opponents have bedded in well in a run of friendlies. In particular, striker Blair Henderson, who was recruited from Annan Athletic to address City’s deficiencies in front of goal, has three pre-season strikes to his name.

The fifth-top scorer in League Two last season looks set to play a valuable part for City, and the former Hibs academy player is a proven goalscorer following previous spells with Berwick Rangers and Stirling Albion.

New arrival Conor Sammon is backing himself to fit in quickly at Fir Park, after completing a loan switch from Hearts.

The striker, who spent the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Partick Thistle, is the sixth summer signing for the Steelmen.

And the 31-year-old is confident he can add to the squad at Stephen Robinson’s disposal.

“There’s great competition for places here throughout the squad, which I think is a brilliant thing,” Sammon said.

“I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in here, playing a lot of games, scoring a lot of goals, and just being a part of a successful season.

“I think the other strikers in the squad are similar. They’re physical, strong and quick, so I definitely think I can fit in here and I think my style of play will help me to have a good season here.

“And I’m looking forward to that, to training with the lads and to getting familiar with each other and how we play.”

Settling in amongst his new teammates hasn’t been a problem for Motherwell’s new number 19, and with competitive football just around the corner, the forward expressed his desire to hit the ground running.

“Excitement is the main thing for me to be honest. When you join a new club, you’re meeting a lot of new faces and your just trying to settle in,” he added.

“But so far it’s been easy for me because the boys have been really welcoming and you can tell it’s a very close-knit group.

“The last couple of days have been enjoyable, tough sessions and that’s what you want. You want players to be pushing each other every day so we become as good as we can be.

“Come game day, we’ll be raring to go, I’ve no doubt.”

Motherwell have completed the signing of Conor Sammon on loan from Hearts.

The Republic of Ireland international striker has joined for the 2018/19 season, further bolstering the team’s forward options.

“I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in here, playing a lot of games, scoring a lot of goals, and just being a part of a successful season,” the 31-year-old said.

“I think the other strikers in the squad are similar. They’re physical, strong and quick, so I definitely think I can fit in here and I think my style of play will help me to have a good season here.

“And I’m looking forward to that, to training with the lads and to getting familiar with each other and how we play.”

Sammon spent last campaign on loan at Partick Thistle, weighing in with a goal every 207 minutes for Partick Thistle, netting 10 goals in total.

Compared for the scoring rates of former Motherwell forwards, that return puts him in the same bracket as John Sutton (one goal for Motherwell every 200 minutes), Lukas Jutkiewicz (one every 217 minutes) and Henri Anier (one every 218 minutes).

Sammon, who will wear shirt number 19, counts Kilmarnock, Wigan Athletic and Derby County amongst his former clubs.

“I’m delighted to have added Conor to our squad,” manager Stephen Robinson said of the acquisition.

“I’ve been keen to add another option in the striking department and he will fit our style of play perfectly.”

Stephen Robinson says it’s important that Motherwell get off to a strong start in their season opener against Edinburgh City.

After a 60-day gap without competitive football, the Steelmen return to action in the group stage of the Betfred Cup on Tuesday night.

It’s the opening game of the 2018/19 season on Tuesday, with Edinburgh City the visitors to Fir Park.

The Betfred Cup group stage tie is the first of four fixtures to be played before the league season kicks off, with Motherwell the top seeds in their group.

We’ve been here before

On the road to last season’s Betfred Cup final, Motherwell and Edinburgh City were paired together in the group stage. Stephen Robinson’s side travelled to Ainslie Park on the back of 5-1 and 4-0 wins over Queen’s Park and Morton respectively, but the trip to the capital was a trickier affair.

The visitors had plenty chances which they just couldn’t take, before they were shocked by Edinburgh taking the lead in the 69th minute. But ‘Well rallied, with Chris Cadden and Elliott Frear netting soon after to ensure the win – and qualification for the knockout stage.

Continuity is key

Manager Robinson had assembled an almost entirely-new squad the last time the two sides met, whereas this time they go into the game having made minor adjustments in the transfer window.

Keen to add depth to his squad, rather than overhaul the team, five new players have arrived to bolster the options. The core of the group have all been retained, with recruitment done early and players given time to bed in across pre season.

Suspensions to contend with

Both Cédric Kipré and captain Peter Hartley have to sit out the match through suspension. Kipré is denied his 50th Motherwell appearance because of the red card he picked up in last season’s Betfred Cup final, while Hartley will have to wait to make his first competitive appearance since 30 December last year.

Edinburgh’s season is already up and running

While Motherwell sat out the opening day of the Betfred Cup group stage, Edinburgh City were in action at Clyde. Leading 1-0 thanks to Conrad Balatoni’s strike just before half time, the Citizens were pegged back at the death by their hosts to draw 1-1.

As is the way with the group stage of the competition, the game then went to penalties to determine which side would gain a bonus point. It would be City who would prevail, winning 4-1 on spot kicks.

The new slightly modified Fir Park

Visitors to Fir Park on Tuesday night will notice some changes around the place. The main ones are cosmetic. Most noticeably, the wall along the front of the Phil O’Donnell stand has been removed and the track relaid with a synthetic surface.

After years of waiting, the new scoreboard will be in operation for the first time. Situated in the same spot in the south stand, the old bulb based system is now home to a video screen. Keep your eyes peeled for some of the things we can do with it.

If you’ve pre-purchased a ticket for the match, our new access control system is being tested at this game. You may be directed at the turnstiles to one of our friendly team who will scan your ticket, so we can make sure everything is working properly ahead of the league opener on 11 August. Just approach the turnstiles as normal, ticket scanning is being done at random at the gate.

Motherwell start the 2018/19 season with the visit of Edinburgh City on Tuesday evening in the Betfred Cup group stages.

Here are some key numbers and statistics you need to know ahead of the opening game.

60

The summer break is getting shorter, or at least it feels that way. Sixty days will have passed between when Motherwell return to competitive action against Edinburgh City and the Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic in May.

Five

There are five players who could potentially make their Motherwell debuts in Tuesday’s game. Summer recruits Liam Donnelly, Mark Gillespie, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Alex Rodríguez Gorrín and Danny Johnson are all fit and in contention to feature.

12

Motherwell featured in last season’s group stage on their way to the Betfred Cup final and netted 12 goals in the process. Putting five past Queen’s Park and four past Greenock Morton, a further two goals came against Edinburgh City and one more at home to Berwick Rangers.

25

Manager Stephen Robinson talked in the off season about adding depth to his squad. In the three pre-season games this campaign, he used 25 players and has spoken about his belief that he now has more options, with a number of young players having also shown their capabilities in the games with Crusaders, Darlington and Dunfermline Athletic.

Two

Visitors Edinburgh City are in second position in the group after defeating taking a bonus point at Clyde in the opening matches on Saturday. After a 1-1 draw, the capital club won 4-1 on penalties. In top spot are Queen of the South, who were 2-0 down to Stranraer within 10 minutes but came back to lead 3-2 at half time, before going on to win 5-3.

The 2018/19 campaign gets underway with a clash against Edinburgh City in the Betfred Cup on Tuesday.

In our Friday quiz, can you name the opening fixtures in each of the last 20 seasons?

Motherwell’s first competitive away game of the 2018/19 season comes at Stranraer on Saturday, 21 July.

The second match of the group stages of the Betfred Cup will see Stephen Robinson’s side come up against the League One side for the first time in two years.

Adult prices are set at £12, while concessions are £6. Motherwell supporters can pay at the gate. Kick off is at 3pm.

Motherwell ended their pre-season programme with a 0-0 draw away to Dunfermline Athletic.

The Steelmen used 21 players in their last non-competitive match at East End Park, creating numerous scoring opportunities.

Richard Tait, Andy Rose and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair were happy to get more minutes under their belts as pre-season ended with a draw at Dunfermline Athletic.

The trio all impressed in the last workout before competitive action starts at home to Edinburgh City in five days time.