BLACKBURN Rovers have received inside information on Salzburg's artificial pitch ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup tie.

And midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen insists they have nothing to worry about.

The Norwegian international revealed he regularly used plastic pitches throughout the winter months during his time with Troms.

And he even used his former club's facilities in the summer to keep up his fitness ahead of pre-season.

Pedersen said: "I was playing on an artificial pitch six months a year when I played in Norway. I played from November until April on artificial pitches.

"It's been a while since I was playing on it. I was training on it in the summer. They are very friendly in the north and they let me use whatever I want. But you get used to it quite quickly."

Rovers have an artificial surface at their Brockhall training complex but Pedersen said the pitch at the Bulls Arena in Austria would be completely different.

And ahead of Thursday's first leg, he was praying for rain.

He said: "Of course you get a little bit of an advantage when you're playing on it day in day out. When it's wet it's like playing on really short-cut grass but if it's dry it can be a problem and they will with the result, but we have an opportunity now of trying to put that right.

"I thought our boys showed good character and mental strength. "We've got to make sure we keep that and keep their confidence up nice and high."