Brandon Miele admits that he knows little about Shamrock Rovers’ Europa League opponents but feels that the Dublin side can use their superior fitness to qualify for the next round.
The Hoops face Luxembourg's FC Progres Niederkorn in the Europa League first qualifying round clash.
Former Newcastle youth player Miele admits it is a trip into the unknown but is optimistic about their chances.
"It will be a good trip to Luxembourg. To be honest I don't know much about the team we're playing but hopefully we can go there and get a win," he told the Irish Independent.
"I think we have good back-room staff and they'll do what they can to find out what they can about the team. I think we'll approach it like any other game and go and get a win.
"Hopefully we'll be fitter. We're mid-season so I think that's probably going to be an advantage to us. But we can't underestimate them."
"We're mid-season so I think that's probably going to be an advantage to us"
Meanwhile, Crusaders captain Colin Coates hopes to put their physical advantage to good use in the Champions League qualifier against Levadia Tallinn.
The Estonian champions arrive at Seaview for a first-round tie as current leaders of their home Premium Liiga, which is approaching the halfway mark in its season.
By contrast the Northern Irish club have had just one friendly for their preparations but Coates believes they can make their mark, particularly at set-pieces.
"Our game tends to be slightly more physical than some of the European sides are used to and set-pieces can be a major weapon for us," Coates is quoted by BBC Sport.
"The likes of Jordan Owens and myself can be a handful there and we will be setting up to try and do that again.
"They are league champions and are doing well again this year, plus they are in the middle of their season, so we face a difficult task.
"They have a relatively good pedigree in Europe and from what I've seen on video, they look like a good outfit, but we feel we can give anyone a game at Seaview.
"Fitness is obviously a concern as we have only had a week's training and one friendly under our belts but we will hopefully get through on adrenaline."
