Joey O'Brien believes BK Hacken's recent downturn in form could prove to be a red herring as his Shelbourne side get set to make their league phase debut against the Swedish side in the UEFA Conference League at Tallaght Stadium tonight (8pm).
Hacken will be the first of six opponents that Shels will face between now and Christmas with high-profile fixtures against AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace also on that list.
Gothenburg-based Hacken are in the group stage of a European competition for the second time in their history having featured in the Europa League two years ago.
Despite making their way into the Conference League proper this season, getting past sides like Anderlecht and CFR Cluj along the way, their domestic league form has fallen off a cliff.
Before getting back to winning ways at the weekend by beating Norrkoping 2-0, Jens Gustafsson's side had lost six, drawn two and won just once in their previous nine games in Sweden's top flight Allsvenskan, a run down that has left them languishing 10th in the table.
But from the perspective of Shelbourne manager O'Brien, Hacken's downturn does not tell the full story of how strong they actually are as opponents.
"I obviously just look at the performances really, I don't really look at the league table," he told RTÉ Sport.
"I (put) more focus on the performances in the games and when you're looking back at the games, you're seeing things in games that they have.
"In the games that they've been beaten in, they've at times had more possession, more chances, created more chances and been the better team in a lot of them. So, again, probably where they are in the league, I wouldn't really read too much into that.
"The European stuff has been really good, and obviously just referencing that Cluj game, to beat them 7-2 in the first leg, I suppose that's a warning sign of how attacking they can be."
Unlike the old-school group stages used by UEFA prior to last season where clubs faced three clubs on a home and away basis, the league phase of the Conference League throws double the number of opponents into the mix in one-off ties across a relatively short space of time.
While adding extra demands from a scouting and preparation perspective, O'Brien said he was taking that in his stride supported by his backroom team.
"It's been good, obviously. It's not just me, the staff in the background," he said.
"Obviously you're looking at the games and our aim was to make sure we were able to get to each team that we are playing live, so that's something that we definitely do, minimum once.
"We were able to get to Hacken once and watch them, and obviously watching the other (games) that they played previously.
"So that will be the same going forward. We'll get eyes on all the other teams, and I suppose that's how you just do it, you just prepare it.
"You're watching them, you're looking at the games, you're breaking down how they play and then coming up with a game plan to try to put that across to the lads."
And it's his own scouting trip to see Hacken in their 2-0 victory over Norrkoping that has reiterated his stance that their form is the reddest of herrings.
"They're a good side. I went to watch them at the weekend," O'Brien said.
"Really an attacking team, create lots and lots of chances and a real attack-minded team, score lots of goals.
"That's their strengths. We're obviously looking at their weaknesses and how we can take the game to them and get our players on the front [foot] and look to us to try and dominate the game."
Shelbourne are the designated home team but due to UEFA regulations at this stage of the competition, the game will not be at Tolka Park but instead at Tallaght Stadium.
However, O'Brien does not think relocating away from their cherished territory will be an issue with Shels fans expected to descend in numbers and indeed the surface itself could help them emphasise the style of play they want to impose.
"It's a great stadium to play in," he said of a Tallaght ground where he plied the latter part of his career whilst at Shamrock Rovers.
"Obviously it's a great atmosphere when you're playing against Rovers. I think we've played well [here].
"The condition of the pitch is lovely up here and I think it's really going to benefit us as well."
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