Bangor City are Stuart McCall's favoured winners of the 1st round qualifying clash, the reduced travelling and Stjarnan's artificial pitch as well as their mid-season match sharpness being the deciding factors.
'Well fans will share that view as the relatively short trip to the North Wales coast would enable a sizeable contingent to attend the second leg of the tie on Thursday 24 July. The home leg is scheduled for 17 July and tickets are already on sale at Fir Park regardless of the opposition.
Stjarnan are strong favourites to win Thursday's game at around 1/2 while the visitors are approximately 4/1 to cause an upset. The Icelanders are halfway though their domestic season with a 6 wins, 4 draws and no losses to date. They are second in the league table and recorded an away win in the last outing (2-1 against Fram Reykjavik on 28 June).
Bangor City, like Motherwell, will start their competitive season with a Europa League tie and the associated problem of facing a team that is likely to be sharp and at their best. The second leg will give Motherwell a chance to watch both teams in the newly built Nantport Stadium. Capacity is just over 1100 and at the time of writing only 300 tickets remain. A successful outcome on Thursday evening may see those snapped up quickly!
We wish the Welsh all the best for the tie and hope for a recreation of the Llanelli march in a few weeks.