Soccer/Rosenborg v Bohemians: More than once, since he made the move from Longford Town to Dalymount Park, Stephen Kenny has spoken of his ambition to take the Dublin club into new territory for an Irish team in Europe.

This evening in Trondheim he could do just that by bringing Bohemians to the third qualifying round of the Champions League, although to do so his team will have to become the first Irish club in history to bounce back from a home defeat to win a European tie.

The Dubliner admits the task looks a daunting one but insists neither he nor his players have come here to be rolled over by a side he feels are not all that much better.

"Of course, they start as favourites," he says with just a hint of irritation at the notion that in many people's eyes the tie has already been decided. "But it's not good enough to come here and not aim to turn it around.

"A single goal and we could take this thing to penalties and I still believe if we play the way we are capable of playing then we can score two."

Kenny is boosted by the fact that Bobby Ryan has come through training since arriving in Norway with no difficulty and the winger looks certain to start out on the right flank.

That means the visitors could field a side unchanged from the one that started in Dublin last week, even though Fergal Harkin's recent form continues to play on his manager's mind and, despite admitting it would be a gamble, Kenny could replace Mark Rutherford with the Donegalman out on the left.

Perhaps Kenny's biggest problem, however, is he is still unsure as to just how good his opponents this evening really are. He seems slightly stung by the widespread consensus that Bohemians were outplayed last week, maintaining that while the Norwegians moved the ball about nicely and retained it well they achieved little penetration against a back four that - the first-half goal came from a corner aside - coped well with the task presented to them.

"I didn't think they hurt us much," he says, "and the fact is that if we had managed a 0-0 draw then people would have been saying it was a good result but we still would have had to come here and score.

"Rosenborg's record suggests that if we are going to win here then we are going to have to have the game of our lives but personally, I just can't imagine Glen Crowe going through another 90 minutes without him having a couple more chances than he had last week.

"Physically, they are very strong but technically, I really don't believe there's much in it and if you compare how quick the two teams are I'd say we might actually be faster, so I think it would be very premature to write us off."

Rosenborg manager Aage Hareide, perhaps a little chastened by his side's performance in the league on Sunday when they conceded two first-half goals at home to Brann before salvaging a draw thanks to goals from Harald Brattbakk and Frode Johnsen, attempted to play down his own expectations ahead of this evening's game.

The hosts are capable, if the need arises, he says, of cancelling out what would be a winning margin for the Irish but the former Brondby coach knows that conceding any early goal tonight could leave his side with problems.

"We know we will have to improve for this game and we know that we will have to work very hard because Bohemians will," he said yesterday. "But the players know what is at stake. This is our most important game of the season so far because if we win then even a defeat in the next round will leave us in the UEFA Cup.

"Hopefully, we can play our normal home game," he added, "which is fast and very offensive because if we do then it will be very hard for Bohemians who will have to find some more creativity if they really want to open us up."

Doubts hang over the fitness of a couple of Hareide's players, with former Rangers left back Stale Stensaas reportedly suffering from flu and midfelder Fredrik Wisnes having been relegated to the bench on Sunday evening with an unspecified ailment, one that most in the Irish camp suspect might be linked to his undignified response to being substituted in Dublin.

The Norwegian coach, meanwhile, is likely to stick with Icelandic international goalkeeper Arni Gauter Arason who returned to the team at the weekend after missing the Dalymount game because of a contractual dispute.

Last week's goalscorer, Azar Karadas, may also return after being dropped for the Brann match.

Whoever Hareide settles on, Kenny admits his opposite number and the local players are entitled to go into the game confident they can build on the advantage secured in Dublin to secure a tie with Deportivo next week.

The thing is, he is just not convinced of their superiority.

PROBABLE TEAMS

BOHEMIANS: Kelly; Lynch, Hawkins, Heary, Webb; Ryan, Hunt, Caffrey, Harkin, Doyle, Crowe.

ROSENBORG: Arason; Basma, Riseth, Hoftun, Stensaas, Johnsen, Berg, Winsnes, George, Karadas, Brattbakk.