Gary Rogers at the airport earlier today for the trip to LOndon with his Dundalk colleagues

Quinn urges Dundalk players to 'seize the moment'

Gary Rogers and Greg Sloggett continue a hectic schedule tomorrow night when Dundalk face the biggest test that a League of Ireland club could experience in the second round of the Europa League Group B.

Dundalk will tackle hosts Arsenal knowing that they will have to be at 100 per cent to make an impact and former Arsenal man Niall Quinn is urging them to 'seize the moment' against the Premier League's kingpins and top seeds in the competition.

Dundalk lost (1-2) last THursday in the Europa League opener against Molde while Arsenal won (2-1) against Rapid Vienna.

This is the second of six group games with two more away (Rapid and Molde) and two at home Rapid and Arsenal) - see remaining fixtures for Dundalk schedule below.

NIALL QUINN'S VIEW

Former Arsenal striker Niall Quinn has urged the Dundalk players to 'seize the moment' when they take on Arsenal in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Quinn believes Filippo Giovagnoli's players will be showcasing League of Ireland football as they take centre stage at Emirates Stadium.

Quinn made his name at Arsenal after he was scouted by the north London club playing for Manortown Unitedand he is backing Dundalk's Class of 2020 to make a positive impression on Mikel Arteta's Gunners.

"This is a chance for our players and our league to go toe-to-toe with one of the big names in football and it's huge on so many levels for Irish football," stated Quinn, who played 93 times for Arsenal between 1983 and 1990.

"The Dundalk lads could be forgiven for feeling a bit giddy about a game against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, but they have to focus and make sure they do what they do best.

"I hope they defend well because they are going to need to. They got a little bit ragged at times against Molde last week as their banks for four, five and one got run around and against Arsenal, they will be punished if that happens again.

"First of all, they need to be hard to beat. The key to them having an enjoyable night is making themselves hard to break down and they will need every bit of the armoury working to get anything from the game.

"It will be tough, they need to put their plan into place and I hope the Dundalk players go into the game with a positive attitude.

"They can't shy away and worry about it. They need to go out there and show their stuff.

"This could be a night for someone to be a hero and you can change a career if you have a great night on a big stage like this."

Quinn admits the empty stands at Emirates Stadium will take something away from what could have a been a special occasion for the Dundalk players and the huge Irish community in London, but he believes it will still be a night to remember.

"The fact that the game will be played in an empty stadium is a real shame because it could have been a great occasion, but that is the time we are living in and the Dundalk players just have to make the most of the opportunity," he added.

DUNDALK FIXTURE SCHEDULE

Thursday 29th October - Arsenal v Dundalk, 8pm, Europa League.

Arsenal v Dundalk will be live on Virgin Media Two (free-to-air) and Virgin Media Sport from 7pm tomorrow, Thursday 29th October with analysis from Brian Kerr and Niall Quinn.

Sunday 1st November - St Patrick's Ath v Dundalk, 5.45pm, Premier League.

Thursday 5th November - Rapid Vienna v Dundalk, 5.55pm, Europa League.

Sunday 8th November - Dundalk v Sligo Rovers, 7.30pm, Premier League.

Saturday 14th November - Bohemians v Dundalk, 7.45pm, FAI Cup.

Sunday 21st November- FAI Cup semi-finals, provisional.

Thursday 26th November - Dundalk v Rapid Vienna, 8pm.

Thursday 3rd December - Molde v Dundalk, 8pm.Europa League.

Thursday 10th December - Dundalk v Arsenal, 5.55pm, Europa League.