EUROPA LEAGUE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND: Dundalk (0) v Levski Sofia (6)DESPITE THEIR chastening experience in Bulgaria last Thursday, Dundalk manger Ian Foster is viewing their European campaign in a positive light.

Trailing 6-0 from the first leg at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia, Dundalk should bow out tonight at Oriel Park with Foster insisting he and his players are looking forward to enjoying a good game.

“It has been a fantastic experience,” said Foster. “Our objective was to get through the first round and then keep our fingers crossed as to the outcome of the draw for the second round.

“Unfortunately, we were drawn against Levski, who, as we know, are an excellent side. We need to remember that Levski have played in the Champions League group stages and beat Lazio in Rome last year. This time two years ago Dundalk were in the First Division.

“We need to take the experience of European competition and learn from it. The players will learn a lot from playing against a team of this standard.“

Their involvement in Europe has coincided with Dundalk’s worst run of form domestically as they’ve lost five of their last six league games to drop from first to fifth in the table.

“The mood in the camp is very good. We need to just take stock of where we are at,” said Foster, who stressed that four of those defeats were to the top four teams in the table.

Defender and captain, Liam Burns, remains out with an abdominal injury while both right-back Shaun Kelly (tendonitis) and midfielder Stephen Maher (groin) hope to be passed fit to play.

Levski trained on an artificial pitch similar to Oriel Park before departing Sofia, leaving nothing to chance in securing a third-round clash with either Swedish side Kalmar or Moldovans Dacia Chisinau.