---
title: "Victor Wanyama hoping for more European nights at St Marys"
canonical: "https://readsouthampton.com/2015/08/20/victor-wanyama-hoping-european-nights-st-marys/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Matt Clewes"
section: "Reports/Previews"
published: "2015-08-20T12:19:17Z"
modified: "2015-08-20T12:19:17Z"
---

# Victor Wanyama hoping for more European nights at St Marys

Saints midfielder Victor Wanyama is hoping to have more\
special European nights in Southampton colours as they prepare for the Europa\
League qualifier against FC Midtjylland.

The Kenyan scored on a memorable night for Celtic against\
Barcelona in their Champions League win in November 2012.

Wanyama experienced some fairly pressurised situations\
whilst at Celtic Park, but believes it is just as important for Saints to do\
just as well this time round “I handled it at Celtic. Here it is good. There is\
a lot of expectations with our fans and there is pressure to perform well.”

The Danish champions will be welcomed to St Mary’s tonight\
in a game that puts both teams just two games away from the group stages.

As Saints brushed aside Dutch opposition Vitesse by 5-0 on\
aggregate in the previous round, Midtjylland were knocked out of the Champions\
League qualifying round which therefore pushed them down to the Europa League.

You can’t write the Danish side off as they have made an impressive\
start to their league campaign winning four and drawing one of their opening\
five games to the season.

Although they aren’t known that well in England, Wanyama\
spoke about how you have to respect the opposition that you are coming up against, “I don’t\
know much about them but they are a good side because to be in Europe you have\
to be a good team.”

Ronald Koeman on Wednesday afternoon confirmed that on loan\
defender Steven Caulker will be available for selection after he recovered from\
his illness. But also key men Ryan Bertrand and Jordy Clasie will be back and\
available after the international break at the start of September.

The visitors manager Jess Thorup has said that he has no\
fresh injury concerns but did reveal that former Saints academy man Tim Sparv\
will feature in the tie at St Mary’s, eight years after leaving the club.

Thorup said ahead of the game “It would be big, it would be\
huge. Not just for us, especially for us, but also for the teams in Denmark. It\
would show everybody that we are on the right way.

“We know a bit more about them because in Denmark the\
Premier League is a big league. Everybody follows that league, so hopefully\
that will give us a good result and hopefully we can score a goal. I think that\
will be necessary for us to achieve our goals.”

Thorup ended and continued to praise Ronald Koeman but also\
the club in general “they have a nice stadium and a good set of fans – it really\
is a great club.”

The man to look out for is young winger Pione Sisto who was\
born in Uganda but has made four appearances for the Danish under 21’s side\
scoring four goals in the process.

He was named Player of the Year by the Danish football\
association last year and that has already led to some interest from a host of\
European clubs in the last year. You’ll be able to spot him in the number 27\
shirt.

Some encouragement for Saints fans is that FC Midtjylland\
have never reached a group stage of European competition although their owner\
Matthew Benham has set them a target of doing so three times by 2020.

Although Southampton haven’t progressed through two rounds\
of since 1976/77 when reaching the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners’\
Cup.

Goals could become important tonight as the Danish side are\
prolific at home having lost just one of their 17 home games last season and\
winning the rest with the one defeat coming in their penultimate game of the\
campaign against Brondby.

Predicted Saints line up- Stekelenburg; Cedric, Caulker, Fonte (C), Martina; Davis, Wanyama; Mane, Tadic, Long; Pelle.

@clewes\_matt