DUCHY SQUEALY

Flood hopes United heed Scots' past struggles in Luxembourg

- BY FRASER WILSON

LUXEMBOURG wasn't quite a graveyard for Aberdeen's Euro hopes back in 2016 - but Willo Flood knows it sure as heck was close.

The Irishman limped out of a three-year spell with the Dons and rejoined Dundee United after a hard night in the Grand Duchy nine years ago.

Now he hopes the warnings from that humbling - along with Rangers' embarrassing defeat to Progres Niederkorn a year later - will help United avoid seeing their Euro hopes buried when they travel to Luxembourg next month.

Flood's Aberdeen career ended on a downer with a 1-0 Europa League first qualifying round defeat to part-time minnows Fola Esch.

Luckily, Derek McInnes' side had won the first leg 3-1 at Pittodrie so staggered through to the next round - but only after a scare with the home side cracking the post late on.

Now, with United handed a Conference League second qualifying round clash against minnows UNA Strassen, the memory of that Fola faux pas has come back into sharp focus.