Their task might have been a good deal more straightforward if Sergi Revut hadn't popped up inside the box in injury time to grab an away goal for the Ukrainians but Cork City manager Dave Barry remains confident that his men can finish what they began in Turners' Cross two weeks ago when they take on CSKA Kiev this evening.

Barry concedes that the late goal leaves City in a precarious position but insists that a positive result is still possible against a team that failed to make a serious impression until the dying seconds of the opening leg.

"Going 2-0 up was a huge advantage," he says. "They would have had to beat us 3-0 to go through, but when they scored so late it deflated us a bit.

"But as a manager I have to look at the whole performance, and I really couldn't have asked for any more from any of my players. We were the better side on the day and if we can produce that sort of performance out there, I can't see any reason why we can't go through."

Barry's problems ahead of this leg are much the same as they were before the first - Stephen Napier is out with a viral problem and Fergie O'Donoghue is suffering from a groin injury.

The solutions are likely to be much the same too, with Declan Daly again filling in at full-back while Dave Hill drops back into the centre of defence. As in the first match, teenager Greg O'Halloran is likely to start on the right-hand side of defence, although Barry, with a more defensive approach on his mind, may opt to go for the experience of John Caulfield on this occasion.

"Stephen's absence is a particular problem because I'm having to pull Dave back out of his best position in the centre of midfield," he admitted.

CSKA boss Vladimir Bezsonov is unlikely to make many changes but his options will be restricted again by the decision of wealthy neighbours Dynamo to take back a number of loan players because of their own European commitments. However, they do have a hamstring injury worry over top scorer, Victor Leonenko.