Shelbourne manager Joey O'Brien admits that the odds are against his side as they prepare to face Troy Parrott’s AZ Alkmaar side this evening, but he believes his side can pull a shock result out of the bag.
Shels are in the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Conference League and, with just one point on the board so far, they realistically need to win to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive.
Seven points is expected to be enough to secure involvement in the play-off (last 24) stage but Shelbourne’s final two games are a home clash with Premier League side Crystal Palace and an away trip to Slovenia's Celje.
A win at the AFAS Stadion would breath new life into Shels campaign and O’Brien has challenged his players to make it happen.
"[It’s a] great game, great opportunity for us," he said. "I'm really excited to see our lads play on a stage like this, a stadium like this.
"They have some real top players and it’s a real challenge for us, but we’re here and I am really looking forward to it.
"As I said to the lads, we are so lucky to be where we are playing so late into the season with three great games to come.
"I didn’t play football or be involved in football to just go out thinking you’re going to be beaten. That’s not me as a person, that wasn’t me as a player, and it’s not going to be me as a manager.
"It's going to take our best performance, definitely. But that's what football is about. It's about coming out here and having a real cut off the team and having a real crack off them.
"Our level of performance has been good in the last two games. I think if you look back at all our games, Linfield, Qarabag, Rijeka, Shkendija, I think we performed quite well away from home. So it's another opportunity on Thursday night, but we know we're going to have to be at our best."
One of O’Brien’s most pressing concerns this evening will be how to stop Troy Parrott.
Having helped drag Ireland to the World Cup qualifying play-offs with five goals in two games, Parrott was again on the mark on Sunday as he scored in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Heerenveen.
The 23-year-old has 14 goals in 15 games for his club this season and O’Brien is aware of just how dangerous he is in front of goal.
"The last couple of weeks, he’s been great for our country," the Shels boss said.
"Those two games, the performances that he put in, the lift he gave the country and the lift he gave football in the country. It was needed, someone needed to do it and it was great that he stood up and did it.
"He stood up and did it but after that, it's about preparing the team and preparing against the opposition.
"Obviously, he's a top player but we've got a lot of top players as well. So it's about making sure the lads are prepared to play against anyone they come up against."
