But Kenny, who will once again be without Peter Hutton and Killian Brennan for the match, has warned Gretna must not be written off.

He told the Derry Journal: “Everything went well for us in the first leg with brilliant individual goals but make no mistake about it, Thursday night will be a tough fixture.

“Gretna’s pride has been hurt and they will certainly want to avenge their first-leg defeat.”

Drogheda must do without captain Declan O’Brien as they attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Norwegians IK Start.

O’Brien missed the first leg through injury and the club failed to convince UEFA to bend their rules which state a player cannot feature unless he has appeared in the first leg.

Drogs star Paul Keegan hopes his side will take inspiration from Derry’s magnificent first leg win and follow their rivals through to the next stage.

Keegan told the Irish Sun: “It looks like Derry are going to be in the first round proper after they battered Gretna in the first leg and it would be great to be there with them.

“Whether or not it happens this year remains to be seen but I can see an Irish side reaching the group stages of the UEFA Cup in the not-too-distant future.”

Welsh club Llanelli must also overturn a single-goal deficit when they meet Danes Odense – managed by former Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch – in Swansea.

Llanelli boss Peter Nicholas says his players cannot wait for their big chance, telling BBC Sport Online: “My problem has been trying to hold my players back this week.”