Phil Parkinson has described Oldham Athletic as "a Goliath" but insisted Altrincham can still perform another giantkilling act if they hit peak form in their Emirates FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at The J.Davidson Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
With Manchester's big two, City and United, out of action due to international fixtures, the battle for a place in the first round proper is far and away the biggest football event in Greater Manchester this weekend.
Alty are confidently forecasting a bumper gate of around 4,000 for the tie of the round, with the few tickets still remaining for home fans available here.
And the task facing the famed Cup battlers is just as sizeable, according to Robins boss Parkinson, against a club who were in the Premier League at its inception in 1992-93 and were just seconds away from reaching the Cup final the following year.
"It could not have been a more difficult draw for us," he said. "It's two teams really local to each other, and Oldham are an absolute Goliath in our division. They are not where they want to be at the moment, in what is a transitional period for them, so we've got to try to exploit that, if we can.
"But they are a huge team who will make it really tough for us, and we are going to have to be at our very best to be in the hat for the next round.
"It really should be the tie of the round. You want a big gate in the FA Cup, and we will have that, so it has all the makings of a really entertaining, special occasion. We are bang in form, but they are not far behind in the form table, so we will need our A game.
"It's a really important competition for us. Every time a new player comes into the team, he is made fully aware of what the Cup means to this club. We will be really focused on getting through, but it doesn't come any harder than the task we face."
Alty warmed up in style with a fifth straight Vanarama National League win, as goals from Justin Amaluzor and Justin Donawa gave them a 2-0 scoreline at Gateshead. Chris Conn-Clarke again figured prominently as he brilliantly laid on the opener for Amaluzor.
