Red Star Belgrade (1) v Cork City (0): Cork City face a European fixture of epic proportions when they take on Red Star Belgrade in their Champions League second round, second leg game at the 50,000 capacity Crvena Zvezda stadium tonight.
The Serbian double champions Red Star hold a one-goal advantage from the first leg at Turner's Cross last week, where a Denis Behan own goal gave Dusan Bajevic's side a rather fortuitous first-leg lead.
Red Star, who won the European Cup beating Marseille in the 1991 final in Bari, Italy, have a full-strength side to choose from after a four-match training camp in Austria.
In contrast, Cork will be without four of their best players for tonight's showdown in front of 25,000 partisan local fans.
Cork are without club captain and centre half Dan Murray, influential midfielder Joe Gamble, and left back Danny Murphy, all of whom are suspended this evening.
Gamble and Murphy were given post-match red cards after Cork's 2-1 aggregate win over Apollon Limassol in Nicosia two weeks ago, while skipper Murray picked up a yellow card in last week's first leg .
Cork's pre-match preparations have been further disrupted by the events concerning the unsettled George O'Callaghan.
It will, however, be a special occasion for Cork's longest-serving player, 31-year-old midfielder Colin O'Brien, who will captain the team in Murray's absence on a night when O'Brien will set a club record of 21 European appearances for the Leesiders.
"This is Cork's biggest European fixture yet but I still feel we are in with a shout. Red Star may be one of Europe's best known clubs but we have a young vibrant club of our own and we have come a long way in our 22-year history. The biggest part of professionalism is ambition and we have great ambition," said City manager Damian Richardson.
"Red Star are a well-organised and well-balanced team. They are solid in defence, creative in midfield and dangerous in attack but if we play to our potential we can still cause a shock.
"Red Star Belgrade are undoubtedly one of the greats of European football, former European champions and double league and cup winners in their own country. This is a huge step up for us but the incentive for both teams to win the match is even greater," said Richardson, who knows he could be heading for the San Siro to face Italian giants AC Milan next week if Cork pull off the shock of the season.
Uefa will decide today if Milan will be allowed to play in the next round, following their involvement in the match- fixing scandal in Italy.
Officials from both clubs were yesterday becoming increasingly confident that Milan's expulsion could result in tonight's losers gaining progress to the Uefa Cup.
The game will be a memorable occasion for Cork's new signing Brian O'Callaghan, who joined on a free from Notts County three weeks ago and after playing twice for the under-21 team.
He comes in for the suspended Murray to make his European debut.
Bosnian midfielder Admir Softic will be in for a torrid time too from the home fans as the Sarajevo-born adopted Corkman lines out in midfield for Gamble with Cillian Lordan retaining his position wide on the right.
CORK CITY: (Probable 4-4-2 team) Devine; Horgan, Bennett, B O'Callaghan, Woods; O'Donovan, O'Brien (capt) Softic, Lordan; Fenn, O'Flynn.
Referee: Knut Kircher (Germany).
