Uefa Conference League play-off, second leg: Linfield (1) v Shelbourne (3) – Windsor Park, 7.45pm (Live on Premier Sports)
Linfield are capable of dragging this play-off to reach the Uefa Conference League group stages into extra-time and a penalty shoot-out.
With at least €3.17 million in prize money going to the winners, it is possible that Shelbourne will stumble under the pressure of trying to achieve something they have never done before.
From the League of Ireland, only Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk have reached the group phase in European competitions.
Judging from the madcap first leg at Tolka Park, anything can and probably will happen at Windsor Park.
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If Shels take the emotion out of this all-island affair, the fourth meeting in Europe since July, Joey O’Brien’s team should survive the trip to Belfast.
Since replacing Damien Duff as manager on June 23rd, O’Brien has brought his own, no-nonsense approach to getting the champions’ season back on track.
The collective concentration levels tend to drop off a cliff for a period in every game, but all the evidence points to the better team entering the Conference League draw with 35 other clubs on Friday afternoon.
Shamrock Rovers will join them if Stephen Bradley’s men defend a 2-1 lead against Santa Clara in Tallaght, which would be an enormous achievement for Irish football during a turbulent week for the FAI.
[ Shelbourne take two-goal lead to Windsor after big win over 10-man LinfieldOpens in new window ]
On Wednesday, the governing body announced vague plans to introduce voluntary and eventually compulsory redundancies to trim at least 20 per cent of their workforce.
By late Thursday night, we could have Dublin sides guaranteeing six European fixtures each. This would carry Shels and Rovers past the Republic of Ireland’s rapid, 10-week World Cup qualification campaign and into mid-December.
The return from three sold-out nights at Tallaght Stadium – and possibly the Aviva Stadium should Shelbourne draw Crystal Palace, Fiorentina or Troy Parrott’s AZ Alkmaar – could secure more than €5 million from this European run.
Before that can happen, Linfield need to be handled in a similar manner to last Thursday at Tolka Park. The Northern Irish champions are without frontman Matt Fitzpatrick after his wild, yet accidental, challenge on Milan Mbeng drew a straight red card in the first leg from referee Vassilis Fotias.
The Greek official had a busy night, awarding three penalties and deciding that Paddy Barrett’s handball on the Shels goal line only warranted a yellow card and penalty. The big Dutch goalkeeper Wessel Speel dived low to deny Kieran Offord.
“Did Paddy Barrett stop an intentional goal on the line? Is it a red card?” wondered Linfield manager David Healy.
[ Linfield manager David Healy questions refereeing decisions in Shelbourne defeatOpens in new window ]
Northern Ireland’s record goal scorer has become an astute manager, and who welcomes back Euan East, Ben Hall and skipper Jamie Mulgrew from injury, although there is not much Healy has been able to do about Shels’ higher quality of player.
Linfield do not possess an attacking midfielder like Harry Wood, a Scotsman as teak tough as Kerr McInroy, or a brilliant yet inconsistent striker like Mipo Odubeko.
O’Brien is only a manager for two months, but last week he held Evan Caffrey until the second half, when the substitute made an inspired impact to create the second goal for Odubeko and score the third after Wood’s shot hit the post.
“It is paramount that we get the first goal,” said Healy. “If we do – where we didn’t manage it in the Champions League tie [against Shels at Windsor] – we can go and put a wee bit more pressure on them.
“If we can go in at half-time with some sort of lead, I think the roof would come off this place.
“We asked the players, ‘do we still believe we can do this on Thursday night?’ It was a resounding ‘yes.’
“We don’t have Matty Fitzpatrick but that gives others a chance to step up. If it gets to the stage after 60, 70 minutes where we have to empty the bench and have a right go for it, we’ll certainly do that.
“The players have come on a little journey over the last seven, eight weeks. They feel in a good place. The opportunity is still there.
“It might take 120 minutes to see where we are at. We don’t want to be gallant losers.”
