Hibs spark Luzern beer battle as boozers ready for 1000 thirsty punters to drink Swiss city dry

Lee Johnson's side lead 3-1 from the first leg but are under pressure to finish the job after a poor start to their Premiership campaign.

Luzern pubs have been stocking up on beer to cope with the arrival of Hibs fans this week.

The Easter Road travel to Switzerland with a 3-1 lead to protect in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League on Thursday tonight. More than 1,000 fans are expected to make their way from the Scottish capital after an extra 200 tickets were secured last week for the game at the Swissporarena.

And rather than run the risk of their guests going thirsty, Swiss pub owners are making sure the kegs are full ahead of a bumper couple of days for them. The city's Shamrock Pub stated: "We were contacted in advance by Hibs fans. The Scots are lovely and nice people. It's going to be a fun day. We had a lot of Scots here when St Johnstone visited in 2014 and everything worked out great back then. But of course, we have ordered extra beer. We know the Scots like to drink all day. We are ready for them.

"We want them to have a party and our guests should have fun. I hope there will be a few with kilts and bagpipes. Then we'll have a bit of a carnival atmosphere in Luzern."

The Hibees will be hoping it's a case of toasting a money-spinning meeting with Aston Villa rather than drowning their sorrows after letting a 3-1 lead slip. Lee Johnson's men upset the odds in the first leg thanks to goals from Joe Newell, new signing Dylan vente and Jordan Obita.

However, it's no points from their opening two Premiership fixtures and Hibs sit bottom of the table. Pressure is starting to build on Johnson and getting knocked out of Europe will only see it increase.