Despite the inclusion of fulltime player Kelly Liggan, Ireland's women's team faces a battle for survival in the European Nations' team tennis championship in Porto, Portugal this weekend.

Ireland's manager Peter Lowther believes that, if the Group One nations field the players nominated earlier this week, then teams like Slovenia "are likely to prove too strong". Luxembourg's top player Anne Kremmer has a world ranking of 106 as opposed to Liggan's 432. Malta and Portugal are also in the five-nation group.

Gina Niland will be relieved of the responsibility of playing at number one for the first time in many seasons. "It's an enormous advantage to have Gina at second singles and it will be interesting to see how Kelly does," said Lowther.

Niland's game should be well suited to the slow clay surface and the Spanish-based Liggan will obviously also be at home in the conditions.

One possible problem could be that, because of Lesley O'Halloran's absence due to injury, Lowther has no clear doubles pairing at this point.

The proposed, seeded draw sees Ireland take on Malta, apparently the weakest team in the group, when play gets under way today.