EUROPE LEAGUE - St Patrick's Athletic v Steaua Bucharest:IT WAS never going be easy but becoming the first Irish team to qualify for the group stages of a European competition was at least a relatively straightforward target for St Patrick's Athletic as they headed for Bucharest a little over a week ago.

The 3-0 defeat at the Ghencea Stadium last Thursday, however, means they must make history this evening at the RDS by becoming the first side from this country to overturn a first-leg deficit of more than a single goal.

“You’ve got to be optimistic,” says St Patrick’s Athletic manager Jeff Kenna, although in truth it’s no great surprise the former international doesn’t really sound all that upbeat.

“Realistically, we’re 3-0 down, they played well out there and could have had a couple more.

“We know how difficult it’s going to be this time but if it’s a big crowd, if we were to nick an early goal and they don’t approach the game properly, anything can happen.”

Kenna does, at least, have a full squad to choose from, with the Dubliner greeting the novelty of having a “selection headache” with a hint of bemusement.

Having confirmed he will switch to 4-4-2, his key decision is who from Declan O’Brien, Glenn Fitzpatrick and Mark Quigley will start up front.

The latter’s relative lack of match fitness counts against him slightly but his movement, pace and, most of all, goalscoring record over the past couple of years may well make him look worth the gamble to a manager who acknowledges his side have little enough to lose at this stage.

“We have to take the game to them,” he says. “In the second half out there we did cause them problems from set-pieces and with players arriving into the box from midfield so there is some encouragement to be taken. We’ve got to see this time whether we can get an early goal and then see where that takes us but clearly, if we open things up a bit then our defenders are going to have be at the top of their game if we’re not to concede again.”

Central defender Dave Partridge, who came closest to scoring for the Dubliners in the first leg, believes a result of any sort this evening would be significant enough in the circumstances for the hosts.

“Obviously if we won by four we’d be delighted, but we’re realistic,” he says. “Our aim is to win the game. We know how difficult it’s going to be because they are a very, very good side. But hopefully they’ll take the game to us and leave a few spaces so we can nick a goal.

“You never know. Our main aim is that any positive result will be great for us, great for the club. We could look back on our careers and say you’ve done well against a big team. We don’t want a heavy defeat. We’re looking to get a result.”

In the wake of last week’s defeat, Kenna points to the likes of Steaua’s right-sided midfielder Banel Nicolita, central midfielder Andrei Ionescu and strikers Romeo Surdu and Bogdan Stancu as players who impressed him while Partridge expresses admiration for the quality spread across the team.

“Their whole squad was excellent,” he says. “I wouldn’t say any individual stood out for me. They were all good on the ball, very sharp, very quick. I’d say they only had one tall player, who played up front, the rest were all small, quick and very sharp.”

The visitors, it seems, might have added to their store of confidence since last week with a 1-0 away win over the weekend moving them up the table to sixth, just one point behind the leaders, after what had been a somewhat shaky start to their league campaign.

The club’s Italian manager, Cristiano Bergodi, as he did last week, has a number of injury problems ahead of the game and stand-in captain Petre Marin, who impressed at left back, has apparently failed to travel after picking up a knock in the league win.

Bergodi said last night he expects the game to produce quite a few goals as St Patrick’s look to open things up a little more and his men get the chance to “express themselves” and, notwithstanding Marin’s absence, he is in a position to name much the same starting line-up should he choose to do so.

In the circumstances, he may opt to make one or two changes but the tie is very much Steaua’s to throw away and, barring a spectacularly-improved performance by St Patrick’s, it is hard to imagine the Italian or his players will be reckless enough to do that.

Tickets for the game, priced €20 (€10 for concessions), will be available at the Angelsea Road entrance to the RDS this evening.