UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND:SV Salzburg v Bohemians

CORK CITY’S financial problems in the wake of Monday’s High Court appearance have managed to comfortably put those at Bohemians in perspective ahead of this evening’s Champions League qualifier in Salzburg, but manager Pat Fenlon still found himself overseeing preparations against a background of speculation regarding the cost of first round elimination.

Few have done more to advance the cause of Irish clubs on the continental stage in recent years than the Dubliner and success for the Irish champions would be another significant boost for the league after close to a decade of steady progress on the ranking front.

Instead of being free to consider the potential upside of an upset that would eclipse his Shelbourne side’s elimination of Hajduk Split five years ago, Fenlon has been obliged to deal with speculation that the club will have to return to part-time football in the event that they go out to Red Bull Salzburg.

“There are always financial pressures with these games, but we want to win because we want to progress, to play in the next round so I won’t be sending the lads out telling them that they need to do well because of the money.”

Fenlon and Dave Henderson have watched Salzburg in pre-season friendlies and while the manager is not tempting fate there is a sense he feels his side might pull off a shock against a team made up almost entirely of senior internationals from Austria, Europe and beyond.

The improvement in League of Ireland’s clubs’ fortunes at this level has been in no small part down to the switch to summer football and Salzburg’s lack of competitive football is viewed as potentially significant, as is the fact that the club has a new manager, Huub Stevens, whose preferred style of football is reckoned to be somewhat different to that of his predecessor, Co Adriaanse.

As he has done previously, however, Fenlon is likely to change his own side’s approach slightly to cope with the different challenges of playing teams of Salzburg’s calibre in Europe. Jason Byrne, as he did at Shelbourne, is expected to switch to the right wing with Glen Crowe likely to start up front as the side’s lone striker.

Behind him, Joseph Ndo will look to provide support in attack and the hope is that the Dubliners nick an away goal with his help.

“The aim,” says Fenlon, “is to try to keep the thing alive into the second leg next week back in Dublin and see how it goes from there . . . If we are going to score then Joseph could be important for us.”

BOHEMIANS (probable):Murphy; Rossiter, Shelley, Oman, Powell; Byrne, Deegan, Ndo, Keegan, Brennan; Crowe.

Venue:Red Bull Arena

Kick-off:7.30