Game of huge possibilities

SOCCER: On Monday, when asked about Shelbourne's prospects against Deportivo La Coruna in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr noted that "as recent results in soccer and Gaelic football have shown, anything is possible". Mary Hannigan reports.

If, though, Pat Fenlon's team, which ousted KR Reykjavik and Hajduk Split in the previous qualifying rounds, manage to deny last season's Champions League semi-finalists their fifth consecutive qualification for the first phase proper of the competition, the feat might even put the efforts of Greece and Fermanagh this summer in the shade.

"The fact that it's a double-leg match reduces the possibility of Shelbourne creating what would be one of the all-time major surprises in world football," Kerr added. "It will be very difficult for them over two legs against a team and a club of that quality, with those resources, but they have a real chance in the home match."

That home match will be played tonight in front of a 24,000 sell-out crowd, justifying the club's decision - in a financial sense, if not a football one - to switch the game from Tolka Park, where UEFA restrictions would have reduced the capacity to around 9,000.

While Fenlon warmly welcomed the level of support shown for his team from all sections of Irish football, Deportivo La Coruna coach Javier Irureta was angrily bemoaning the fact that, officially at least, just eight Deportivo supporters have travelled to Dublin for the game.

Irureta declared: "At times we are eating too much ham. People have to be more the embodiment of the club. I'm not looking for cocktail sauce, only for people to understand that the reality of football is going and travelling with the team and giving support. That is if we want to have the Champions League in La Coruna for the fifth consecutive year.

"We live in the past and a lot of things here upset me, such as the fact that we are travelling to Dublin with only eight fans."

He was, it seems, accusing the supporters of living the good life too much and not making sacrifices to travel.

Deportivo, then, will be without any following of note at Lansdowne Road and must also do without three key players: Diego Tristan, Fran (both injured) and Noureddine Naybet (suspended). Irureta, though, has still been able to name a squad that boasts five Euro 2004 players - Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade and Spain's Joan Capdevila, Cesar, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque - as well as four South Americans: Mauro Silva (Brazil), Aldo Duscher (Argentina), Walter Pandiani and Lionel Scaloni (both Uruguay).

Jose Molina will be in goal, behind a back four likely to comprise Manuel Pablo, Cesar, Andrade and Enrique Romero.

Sergio Gonzalez or Duscher will partner Mauro Silva in midfield, flanked by Victor Sanchez and Luque, rumoured to be a target for Barcelona. Playmaker Valeron will support the lone striker, probably Pandiani, although he is being pressed by new signing Ruben Castro, who was top scorer in the Spanish second division last season for Las Palmas and has already scored 10 goals in pre-season games for Deportivo.

While one Deportivo website noted that Fenlon "makes his team play a 'typical British game' - a lot of effort and many long balls" and the club's representative at the second leg against Split, Eduardo Lopez Beci, reported that Shelbourne's game consisted of "much intensity, much pressure and overcoming their lack of technical skills with a lot of sacrifice", Irureta has been eager to demonstrate respect for the Dublin club.

"Shelbourne are a dangerous side, but not because they are unknown. I am sure of one thing and that is that there are no small teams and nobody wins by decree. The fact that Shelbourne have played so many games evens things up in my estimation - Shelbourne have played 20 games in their national competition so far, plus the matches of the pre-round, that will be a major advantage for them - it is very much a 50-50 game".

Fenlon's pre-match problems, meanwhile, centre on the fitness of Jim Crawford, who has been feeling unwell this week, and Kevin Doherty, who has only recently returned to training after a calf injury. He is, then, likely to keep faith with the team that started against Hajduk Split last week. Jason Byrne was employed on the right side of midfield that night, rather than up front with Glen Fitzpatrick, and may be asked to fill a similar role against the Spanish.

"It's 11 against 11 and we're going into the game looking for a good result to take to Spain," said defender Jamie Harris. "We've got the players that can get at them and if we can keep it tight at the back, we have a chance."

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Rogers, Harris, Crawley; J Byrne, S Byrne, Moore, Hoolahan, Cahill; Fitzpatrick.

DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA: Molina; Romero, Jorge Andrade, Cesar Martin, Manuel Pablo; Luque, Sergio, Mauro Silva, Victor Sanchez, Valeron; Pandiani.