Soccer

UCD not fazed by Slovan Bratislava

Students have studied Slovakian opposition and are planning a measured approach

UCD manager Collie O’Neill celebrates his side’s away goal win against Dudelange in the Europa League first qualifying round. Photograph: Fabrizio Munisso/Inpho.
UCD manager Collie O’Neill celebrates his side’s away goal win against Dudelange in the Europa League first qualifying round. Photograph: Fabrizio Munisso/Inpho.
Thu Jul 16 2015 - 15:27

Europa League – Second qualifying round, first leg: ŠK Slovan Bratislava v UCD

Štadión Pasienky, Thursday, 7.15 Irish time. Live on Setanta Ireland

Their highlighting the prospect of facing a striker who has scored four times at a World Cup finals perhaps best sums up the task facing UCD at the Štadión Pasienky against record Slovak champions and cup winners Slovan Bratislava.

The striker in question is 80-times capped, 33-year-old Róbert Vittek, who counts those four World Cup goals in South Africa five years ago among 23 in total for Slovakia.

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Partnering him up front could well be ex-Watford and Ipswich forward Tamás Priskin, who has 16 strikes in 49 appearances for Hungary.

“I never saw a side like Dudelange, the way they counterattacked,” said defensive midfielder Gary O’Neill, of UCD’s first round opponents, whom they put out on the away goals rule last week following a tenacious rearguard action with 10 men in Luxembourg. Slovan Bratislava will probably be able to do that two or three times better.

“While we’re very confident in our ability and what we can do, we’ll be playing against a striker who scored four goals in a World Cup for Slovakia. There is no doubt about it, that they are a quality side. But we’re very confident we can come here and cause an upset.”

Manager Collie O’Neill also believes that if UCD can get their tactics right they may have a chance. “Having done all our analysis, yes, they are definitely a step, if not two, up,” said O’Neill. “But they do have some weak points as well. We have a plan to try to stop them from playing.”

While left backs Ryan McLaughlin and Seán Coyne are injured and suspended respectively and didn’t travel, defenders Michael Leahy (ankle) and Tomás Boyle (knee) are expected to be passed fit.

‘Loving it’

“We still want to get through this. We are loving it. We don’t want it to stop,” replied manager O’Neill when asked if this second Europa League tie was merely a bonus for the First Division club.

“We’re not just here for the sake of it. We’re actually here to try to win the game, and we’ll have a plan to try our best to win it.”

UCD (probable): Corbet; Leahy, Boyle, Kouogun, Langtry; O’Neill; Mulhall, Watts, Benson, Doyle; Swan.