Uefa Cup Second qualifying round, first leg/Drogheda Utd v Helsingborgs, Dalymount Park. Kick-off: 7.45:The neutrals would doubtless bemoan his absence from this evening's game at Dalymount Park but, after Henrik Larsson arrived in Dublin yesterday displaying mild flu-like symptoms, most Drogheda fans would probably be happy to hear not only that he's laid up but that when the former Celtic striker sneezes the rest of this Helsingborgs team really does catch a cold.

The 35-year-old did some light training last night but remains the most notable doubt for the visitors ahead of the game.

"We have a couple of question marks and one of them is Henrik," admitted the Swedish side's English manager, Stuart Baxter, yesterday.

"You don't know if he'll wake up in the morning with a raging temperature or feeling like he's going to go for a five-mile run. If he's fit, he'll start because we are intent on putting out the best team we have available."

Baxter - who, coincidentally, when he was in charge of AIK tried to sign Paul Doolin, now the Drogheda boss - was cautious about his side's prospects this evening given the success enjoyed in recent seasons by League of Ireland sides against Swedish teams.

"Smug as you are," he laughed, "you're probably aware of the record, but I am hoping, naturally enough, we are going to break the trend."

For Doolin's side the game represents uncharted territory. They have played the first legs of their previous three European ties away from home and he cited the fate suffered by Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic this season as the basis for his belief a goalless draw tonight would leave his side with an uphill task.

Both teams came through their first qualifying round ties comfortably, United beating Libertas of San Marino 4-1 and Helsingborgs running riot against Estonia's Trans Narva (9-0).

Both camps know tonight's encounter will be much more challenging, Doolin having been impressed, he says, by the reports he has had of Baxter's side, and the Englishman displaying considerable respect for United's collective ability when asked about them yesterday.

"I've seen a lot of Irish football and this is one of the best Irish teams I've seen," he said. "I have seen teams that have had a few more talented players . . . but I think this is the best unit. They are quite an impressive outfit."

The hosts may be fractionally less impressive in the event Brian Shelley fails a fitness test on the hip injury he sustained last Friday, and Stuart Byrne has to switch from his preferred central midfield role to right back. However, there is clearly sufficient ability and European experience within the home side's ranks to test their opponents.

Much, though, will depend on United's capacity to pursue the lead they need to bring away with them without leaving themselves exposed at the back against a side that, including the Trans Narva games, has scored 17 goals in its last six outings.

Potentially more of a concern than Larsson, even if the former Barcelona and Manchester United man is fit, is Razak Omotoyossi, a 22-year-old Benin international who has scored 11 goals in 20 games this season, while the Swedish international midfielders Andreas Dahl and Andreas Jakobsson also have an unnerving knack for creeping forward and finding the net.

"Look," says Drogheda's central defender Graham Gartland, "we could get caught up in the whole Larsson thing and their other striker could score two, so we know we have to take the whole team into account."

For the Tallaght-born defender, who turned 24 this week, games like tonight's might be seen as a reward for the leap of faith he made when he moved to United nearly three years ago.

"At the time when Paul came in to sign me from Longford we had qualified for Europe whereas Drogheda hadn't, but he said to me that was what he was aiming to do year in year out and so far he's been as good as his word.

"It's a great challenge to play in Europe and to measure yourself against players of this quality and the aim is to beat them.

"What's been particularly pleasing, though, has been the way the last few weeks have gone in the league. We've shown against Bray that when we don't play that well we can still win games and against St Patrick's Athletic that when we do we can put other sides away. That wasn't always the case before with us and it's the reason the confidence it generates is a big thing going into a game like this."