Shelbourne head into one of European football's cathedrals on Thursday evening praying they can avoid a humiliation at the hands of Ajax Amsterdam.
The mid-table League of Ireland Premier side may well be starstruck when trotting out at the Johan Cruijff Arena for this Conference League third qualifying round first-leg showdown.
But John Russell's men also need to try to stay professional and hope to remain in the tie heading back to Tolka Park for the second leg next week.
Ajax v Shelbourne Tips Summary
Best Bet - Ajax & Over 3.5 goals @ 4/5
Alternative Bet - Over 7.5 Ajax corners @ 10/11
Bet Builder - Ajax goals range 3-6, Ajax to score in both halves & Over 10 corners @ 15/4
Ajax v Shelbourne Prediction
Best Bet: Ajax & Over 3.5 goals @ 4/5
Ajax will hope their years of decline hit rock bottom last season when they could only finish fifth in the Eredivisie, needing to win a pair of play-offs merely to qualify for the Conference League.
A summer of change has seen ex-Spain international Michel installed as boss, new arrivals above him and in the dressing room, and they have started fast.
Their first two games were against notable Serb side Vojvodina in the second qualifying round and the Dutchmen romped to 4-1 wins away and at home.
That's the measure of what Shelbourne are up against, a Shels team who beat modest Finns Nomme 6-4 on aggregate in the last round, losing 2-1 in the away leg despite having a man advantage for an hour.
This might not be a vintage Ajax but the likes of Davy Klaassen, Steven Berghuis, Caio Henrique and Kasper Dolberg are top-class performers who can lead the Amsterdammers to a routine win.
Alternative Bet: Over 7.5 Ajax corners @ 10/11
Shelbourne know they are going to be hanging on under a barrage of attacks from an Ajax side who outgunned Vojvodina in the last round.
They won 10 corners in the away leg, eight more at home, and in the quest to get this game won before flying to Dublin on the other side of Sunday's trip to PEC Zwolle, are expected to dominate proceedings.
Take Ajax to produce the pressure to ensure there are at least eight corners.
Ajax v Shelbourne Bet Builder Tip
Ajax goals range 3-6
Ajax to score in both halves
Over 11 corners
Pays 15/4
Ajax scored four goals away at Vojvodina in the last round and four more at home.
Take Michel's men to score between three and six goals in the first leg against Shelbourne.
Ajax scored in all four halves of their 8-2 aggregate thrashing of the Serbs and can extend that streak by scoring in both halves against their Irish guests.
And complete the Bet Builder by backing over 11 corners. That might seem a lot but Ajax bagged eight and 10 against Vojvodina, so can go big.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Ajax beat Vojvodina 4-1 at home in the previous round, mirroring the result they secured in Serbia a week earlier
Shelbourne lost 2-1 at Nomme Kalju in the second leg of their second qualifying round tie, but went through 6-4 on aggregate
Ajax racked up 45 shots and 18 corners over two legs against Vojvodina
Seven of Shelbourne's last eight matches have produced three goals or more
Ajax have lost each of their last six home European ties over the last couple of seasons
Shelbourne reached the league phase of this competition last season, but failed to score a goal in any of their six group-stage fixtures
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
