Irish Premiership: Coleraine 'believe we can win' in Europe
Coleraine striker Matthew Shevlin said the side are expecting to face a "fit and sharp" HJK Helsinki in the second qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League.The Bannsiders will compete in Europe for the first time since 2018 when they travel to play the Finnish side.Ruaidhri Higgins' side will be aiming to build on last year's success when they finished runners-up in the Irish Premiership and lifted the Irish Cup."They are mid-season, so we are expecting them to be fit and sharp," Shevlin told BBC Sport NI."They have quality or they would not be in the competition so we are expecting a tough game, but we believe we can win."Bringing a result back for our home game would be a really good result so hopefully we can do that."Shevlin scored 28 goals in all competitions last campaign and added that he is "feeling good" ahead of the new season.Coleraine have also bolstered their attacking options ahead of the new campaign with some statement signings, including winger Conor McMenamin's arrival from St Mirren.The 30-year-old has 14 caps for Northern Ireland and previously impressed during spells at Cliftonville and Glentoran. "I had a good season last year and it was a good end to the season, so we hope we can push on from that now," he continued."The signings have been really good and top quality and they have integrated into the squad perfectly."Before attentions can fully turn to the European fixtures, Coleraine will play Larne in the first Charity Shield without a Belfast club on Friday."Both teams can really use it as a springboard for going into Europe and seeing where you are at," Shevlin said."I am really looking forward to it."
