Having invested so much importance in his first European campaign as a manager, publicly declaring it a greater priority for his club than the SPL this season, McGhee is hugely optimistic the 1-0 first-leg deficit in the first round tie against Nancy will be overturned at Fir Park tonight.

The Motherwell manager is motivated not only by his own fierce ambition, but by what he perceives as a lack of respect shown to his team by their French opponents two weeks ago.

If McGhee's rallying call to his players before kick-off tonight is as impassioned as his demeanour in yesterday's media briefing, a near capacity crowd may indeed witness one of Motherwell's most vibrant and memorable nights.

"I am absolutely desperate to get through and enjoy at least four more games in Europe," said McGhee. "If we get through, I think it would arguably be the biggest result in the club's history.

"It has the potential to be the biggest moment of my career. I've been promoted on lots of occasions with different teams. I never managed to get promoted to the English Premiership, although I hit the crossbar on three occasions, so I think this would be the biggest result of my career if we get through.

"I was up at 5am this morning, looking at a DVD, pondering the team and changing it again. It is a huge game for me in terms of what is possible."

The man who tasted European glory as a player with Aberdeen in Gothenburg 25 years ago said yesterday he currently senses a similar ambience around the Lanarkshire club to that created at Pittodrie during the heady reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.

"It has reminded me all week of one of those early European ties at Aberdeen," he added. "I'm not sure we are destined for the same success as they had, but it has reminded me of it so much. If you put a tuning fork to the walls here, it would just hum. The place has been buzzing.

"I'm confident that, if we do ourselves justice and play as well as we are capable of playing, then we have a chance of turning it round. Anything short of that, we will struggle. It would certainly be a famous victory, but we don't want to start dreaming about that yet."

McGhee believes his players can take advantage of complacency in the ranks of a Nancy side which he has come to hold in less esteem since facing them in France.

"I get the impression they think the tie is over," he said. "They know they have a game to play here and I'm sure they won't be so blasé as to just come here and not bother, but I do think they are absolutely certain they are going through.

"The attitude from their bench over there was as if we had no right to challenge their players, no right to try and win the ball back and keep it. That will be a huge spur for us.

"Nancy are a decent team but since we played them in France, I've watched them a lot on DVD and I've become a bit less convinced about them than I was before the first leg.

"In each of the games they have played recently, they have swapped the team around and swapped the formation around. Their manager must have criteria for playing certain players for certain types of game, but I can't work out what it is. I'm sure he knows.

"I do think we have a chance and that the atmosphere here, along with the modest surroundings, could have an effect on them."

An instinctively attack-minded manager, McGhee will seek to strike a balance tonight between forcing the Nancy defence onto the back foot and ensuring his own team are not open to counter attacks.

"It will be more guns blazing from us than the first leg, but I certainly don't think it will be irresponsible or cavalier," he said. "We have to make sure that if Nancy are going to score, they have to work for it. I don't want it to be because we get stretched or over ambitious in the first 10 minutes, but it will be more positive than it was over there.

"I don't think a clean sheet is imperative, but I think we need to score first. If Nancy score first, then it will affect the spirit of the team and the crowd. But if we score and then they score, I don't think it will be the end of the world as long as there is enough time left in the game."

McGhee has no injury concerns, with Paul Quinn, Stephen Craigan and Stephen Hughes all back in full training. Bob Malcolm, who had Champions League experience with Rangers, may be handed a holding midfield role but McGhee does not want to see a typical Scottish-style performance.

"One of the things I have been saying to my players is that we have to show a little bit of cuteness and savvy," he said. "I won't be asking my players to dive all over the place but to play with more of a European spirit."

Probable teams

Motherwell (4-3-3): Smith, Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell; Hughes, Malcolm, Lasley; Clarkson, Sutton, Porter.

Nancy (4-5-1): Bracigliano, Helder, Luiz, Ouaddou, Biancalani; Dia, Chretien, Berenguer, Malonga, Hadji; Fortune.



Historic games – the five greatest results in Fir Park club's history

MOTHERWELL 4, DUNDEE UNITED 3 – Scottish Cup final, 18 May 1991

In arguably the most dramatic Scottish Cup final ever, Motherwell lifted their first major trophy for 39 years with Steve Kirk scoring the winning goal in extra-time. Iain Ferguson, Phil O'Donnell and Ian Angus were the other scorers for Tommy McLean's side in an epic contest.

HIBS 0, MOTHERWELL 3 – League Cup final, 28 Oct 1950

Hibs, with their Famous Five forward line, were 2-5 favourites to lift the trophy in a season which would see them go on to win the championship. They were stunned by the 7-2 outsiders, with goals from Archie Kelly, Jim Forrest and Willie Watters.

DUNDEE 0, MOTHERWELL 4 – Scottish Cup final, 19 April 1952

Having lost 5-1 to Dundee in the League Cup earlier in the season, Motherwell took revenge in style in front of a 136,000 crowd at Hampden. After a goalless first half, strikes from Jimmy Watson, Willie Redpath, Wilson Humphries and Archie Kelly saw Motherwell win the Scottish Cup for the first time.

MOTHERWELL 4, RANGERS 2 – First Division, 15 Aug 1931

The match which set the tone for Motherwell's greatest ever season as they comprehensively defeated reigning champions Rangers in a Fir Park classic watched by 25,000. Willie MacFadyen was among the scorers and went on to net a record 52 league goals that season as Motherwell were crowned Scottish champions for the only time.

CELTIC 2, MOTHERWELL 4 – Scottish Cup semi-final replay, 9 April 1991

Motherwell fans of a certain age still talk in reverential tones about Colin O'Neill's stunning 40-yard shot which left Pat Bonner grasping at thin air to put the Steelmen 3-2 in front on a dramatic night at Hampden Park. A Dougie Arnott double and one from Steve Kirk helped see off cup favourites Celtic.