Dundalk enter the second leg of their Champions League playoff round tie with Polish champions Legia Warsaw trailing 2-0 after last week's fixture at the 'Dublin Arena'.
Even the most optimistic of Dundalk fans would admit that the League of Ireland's finest enter tonight's decider with a mountain to climb following a late, late Legia goal last Wednesday, but it'd be remiss to simply dismiss this tie as a write-off with a full 90 minutes - and potentially 30 more - still to play.
Legia were certainly more penetrative with their final passes in Dublin and reaped the rewards, but Dundalk played some excellent football themselves, particularly in the first half, and showed they're by no means minnows, or even 'so-called minnows' relative to their big-spending Polish counterparts.
Aleksandar Prijovic, whose injury time goal broke Dundalk hearts, told the media yesterday:
We didn’t think Dundalk would be easy to beat. They place nice football — we were expecting long balls, but it was pleasantly surprising to see just how well they play.
It might be the most condescending compliment in the history of football, but it does show that Legia are taking nothing for granted tonight.
Here are five reasons why Dundalk still have a chance to make history tonight:
1) Legia currently lie 12th in a 16-team league
The reigning Ekstraklasa champs have won just once in their opening six league fixtures, losing twice and drawing thrice. At the weekend, they went 3-0 down to Arka Gdynia before eventually succumbing 3-1 in a home fixture which saw them rest all but one player who played in Dublin last week.
They have scored just one league goal in their past three fixtures, five in total.
2) They are yet to win at home in the league this season
Legia's sole victory - in all competitions - at their Polish Army Stadium arrived back in July against Bosnian outfit HSK Zrinjski Mostar. Even their home leg versus Trenčín in the following Champions League qualifying round saw them fail to net, with a 1-0 victory in Slovakia enough to see them through.
In their domestic league, Legia have scored just two goals in four home games, drawing 1-1, 0-0, 0-0 before losing 3-1 at the weekend.
3) Their wing-backs can be 'gotten at'
Lukasz Broz and Adam Hlousek were given a torrid time of it by Dundalk wingers Daryl Horgan and Patrick McEleney last week, and owe it to Legia's terrific showing in central defence that they weren't punished.
Michal Pazdan and Igor Lewczuk will likely be forced to clean up after their two flankmen once more tonight, but with Dundalk chasing a 2-0 deficit we can expect Horgan in particular to bomb forward at any given chance. If the pressure isn't quite off Dundalk, they can certainly scarcely afford to be conservative in Poland; they proved in the first half of the first leg that they can test Legia, and will need to put the foot down for a full 90 tonight. There's certainly more joy to be found out wide than in central areas.
4) Nemanja Nikolic's head has surely, surely been turned
Speaking yesterday, Legia's Hungarian international striker Nemanja Nikolic told the press:
We cannot lose focus or feel as if we are comfortably going to progress. It’s not over yet.
Today, reports have emerged that the very same player is being pursued by Olympiakos, Napoli and Hull City, having netted 40 times in 60 appearances for Legia.
Hull face a battle for Legia Warsaw star Nemanja Nikolic with Napoli and Olympiacos both keen on the striker. #hcafc https://t.co/GtDCuLI0g4
— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) August 22, 2016
How's your focus now, Nemanja? Now, while it would doubtless be cruel to hope Nikolic spurns any opportunities in front of goal beneath the sheer pressure of a potentially career-defining move to a bigger club, we very much hope Nikolic spurns any opportunities in front of goal beneath the sheer pressure of a potentially career-defining move to a bigger club.
5) The Spirit Of Split
Substitutes Pat Hoban and Kurtis Byrne fired Stephen Kenny's side to a famous if ultimately fruitless victory in Croatia two years ago.
Jean Edvard Kouassi had given the hosts the lead, putting them 3-0 up on aggregate, but Dundalk would ultimately come within a hair's breadth of pulling off the unthinkable in the closing stages. If we've learned anything about the Lillywhites from watching them both at home and in Europe this season, it's that even without Richie Towell, they've freed themselves from the 'nearly men' shackles synonymous with so many great Irish sides. It's true regardless of what happens tonight, with a place in the Europa League proper tentatively scheduled as things stand, but progression tonight would set them apart from the rest, and it might not be as unthinkable as it seems.
