Bohemians under-19s manager Craig Sexton is hoping that they can spring a surprise on PAOK Salonika when they come to Dalymount Park for their opening 2019 UEFA Youth League match tonight (k/o: 7:30pm).
While Sexton was keen to emphasise the intention to impose their game on the visitors, he has gathered a lot of information on the Greek club's youth team and he is also confident that they will have struggled to do the same for the Gypsies youths.
"I don't think they'll have a lot of info on us!" joked Sexton. "Maybe the element of surprise will be there! The Dalymount away changing room is one that will surprise them!"
This is the second year running that Sexton has led an under-19s team into the competition after last year's clash with the impressive Danish outfit, FC Midtjylland.
"We learned loads and certainly the players learned loads," said Sexton. "We've referenced it a lot over the last week or so. They need to be comfortable with playing big occasions and that's what we've spoke to them about, being positive and taking the game to oppostions so that's what we've looked at.
"I think it will stand to us, I really do. I think it will stand to the coaching staff. I think it will stand to the players from last season and we take a lot of positives from last year because we ran Midtjylland close."
Bohemians gave themselves hope by bagging a crucial away goal in a 2-1 first leg defeat against the Danes but despite a bright start in the home leg which they led 1-0 at half-time, they eventually succumbed to another 2-1 loss.
"At half-time in the home leg, we were going through at that point and look, we gave away two sloppy goals and that will be something we reference," Sexton added. "I think we all know that in European [football] and these types of nights, it's small margins that win and lose games, these types of games.
"So we need to make sure that we're on the right side of them margins on Wednesday night and we take something positive to Greece, that's what we're really looking at."
The Greek outfit represent another massive challenge for the Dubliners and the opposition squad includes a number of players who were recent visitors to these shores representing their country in the UEFA under-17 European Championship.
"They've been really successful over the last number of years in their underage system. They play a under-19s league like ourselves, which is, sometimes in these competitions you can face an under-18s team or 19s team, in their home league it might be a little bit different, but [PAOK] are a 19s team.
"Their first team are quite successful over the last number of years playing in Europe and Champions Leagues and things like that so they've got really good pedigree. They had seven players who played in the Greek side who played our under-17s European Championship in Tallaght a few months ago.
"They have a good calibre of player in their academy. They have a real different type of system. They have a lot of satellite academies throughout Greece as a club so they have the pick of the bunch basically at the minute.
"I think I'm right in saying I think they've lost three games in two seasons or something like that as a group so they're really strong so it's something we're mindful of. We know it's not going to be easy so we're really going to be up against it.
"But we are confident because we've got a good group of players and I believe in them and they believe in each other an we'll be having a right go at it."
It is free admission into the game at Dalymount Park and the club are urging all Irish football fans to get down to the ground and support Bohemians in another important night of European football at the ground.
