Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Europa League Preview: Cork City -v- Linfield
- Dave Donnelly
- Thu, Jul 07 2016
CORK CITY
Cork City welcome Linfield to Turner's Cross (kick-off 7.45pm) with a priceless 1-0 lead after Sean Maguire's second-half penalty was enough to separate the sides at Windsor Park.
“We have a massive job to do once again tomorrow night,” Caulfield told reporters at the club's weekly press conference.
“Being 1-0 up is an advantage but it would be foolish to think that the game wasn’t in the balance.
“Linfield play very direct. They play 4-4-2, they don’t mess around, they play ball into the channels and have young Paul Smyth playing in behind.
“When we got it down and passed it, we caused them problems, so we’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses.
“We plan on going on the attack. We didn’t have any particular approach last week, we felt we could win the match. We felt we could score and tomorrow night, we don’t see any difference.
“We just have to on our game and ready from the start. You’d be foolish to go out and sit back. Our plan is to go out and score, and that’s the only way to approach it.”
Caulfield will be without defenders John Dunleavy and John Kavanagh, who are long-term absentees, as well as goalkeeper Alan Smith. Karl Sheppard, Steven Beattie and Greg Bolger are all doubts.
LINFIELD
David Healy's side come to Turner's Cross with a slender deficit to overcome, knowing that securing the first goal will be crucial to their chances of upsetting the odds.
"Cork will be favourites and rightly so having come to Belfast and won the first leg,” manager David Healy told the club's website in advance of the game.
“We were under no illusions in the first game about how difficult it was going to be and it proved that way.
“We are still in this tie though and the players are really up for it. We will have a few hundred supporters right behind us so it should make for a great atmosphere."
"The first goal will probably be vital and we know that we need to score to progress. I firmly believe that we have enough in our team to cause Cork problems and to get goals.
“We probably should have scored in the first half in the first tie although I think we ran out of legs in the second half. If we can get the first goal here then it's definitely game on."
Linfield will be without the injured Sean Ward, while Jimmy Callacher has yet to return from his honeymoon.
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski.
MATCH STATS
The last time the sides met prior to last week's first leg at Windsor Park was in the semi-finals of the Setanta Sports Cup in 2007, as Linfield triumphed 1-0.
This is the first time City have met Northern Irish opposition in European competition.
Linfield met both Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers in the European Cup in the 1980s, losing to the former and beating the latter.
BETTING
Cork City 1/3; Draw 10/3; Linfield 6/1.
PREDICTION
Cork City 0 – 0 Linfield
Cork City
Injured: Greg Bolger, John Dunleavy, John Kavanagh, Alan Smith.
Doubtful: Steven Beattie, Karl Sheppard.
Suspended: None.
Linfield
Injured: Sean Ward.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: Jimmy Callacher.
