Champions League, second round qualifier: Shamrock Rovers v Sparta Prague, Tallaght Stadium, 8pm – live LOITV
Tallaght Stadium has held big games since expanding to a 10,000 capacity but the visit of Sparta Prague, and the reward for beating the Czech side over two legs, makes for a momentous occasion in the history of both Shamrock Rovers and their revamped venue.
Robbie Keane managed Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli Premier League title last season and while the Republic of Ireland record goal scorer departed the club after one season in charge, his former players could travel down Whitestown Way in a fortnight.
That is presuming Stephen Bradley’s men overcome a Sparta team ranked 71st by the Uefa coefficient. Rovers are 148th.
Macabbi must beat Steaua Bucharest to reach the Champions League third round qualifier. A more likely scenario has Sparta overwhelming Rovers over two legs, finishing in Prague next Tuesday, which would redirect the Hoops to the Europa League third round, where they face the loser of Celje (Slovenia) versus Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia).
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Win that tie and Rovers are guaranteed entry to the group stages of the Uefa Conference League with the bonus of a playoff to reach the Europa group stages.
Above all else, each route leads to millions of Euros in prize money. €1.71m is already guaranteed for beating Vikingur of Iceland. To get past Sparta banks the League of Ireland champions almost €4 million.
But Shamrock Rovers do not belong in the Europa League proper – Sparta most certainly do after only being eliminated last season by Liverpool – and their 2022 Conference League results suggest that Rovers barely deserve another spin at the third-tier competition.
Two defeats over two legs in the next fortnight gives Bradley’s already out of sorts squad a playoff to reach the Conference League proper, with a windfall of €3.17 million bolstered by €400,00 for every subsequent victory and €133,000 for each draw.
Two years ago they lost four and drew twice in the Conference group stages, producing superb displays at home to Djurgardens (Sweden) and Gent (Belgium).
In reality, Europe was treated as a secondary competition behind securing a third successive League of Ireland title and there is little evidence to suggest that Rovers are better equipped to make progress in 2024. Bohemians bounced them out of the FAI Cup last Friday and they lie fourth in the Premier Division, 13 points adrift of leaders Shelbourne.
It is highly unlikely that Rovers will prioritise their European ambitions over the pursuit of Shels. Not with the five in a row still up for grabs.
But tonight is a complete mismatch on paper, all set for something special to occur.
Usually, in late July, Rovers would get the jump on big European clubs still in preseason but Sparta got their domestic campaign off to a winning start last Friday, with Nigerian striker Victor Olatunji scoring in a 2-1 defeat of Pardubice.
Under head coach Lars Friis, who replaced Brian Priske this summer after the Dane replaced new Liverpool manager Arne Slot at Feyenoord, they bring a quality of a player that should be streets ahead of Rovers veteran-heavy panel. Transfermarkt.com estimates a €68 million gap in squad values between the Czech and Irish champions.
“You just have to look at the number of players they had at the recent European Championships, they are really high-level opposition,” said Bradley. “They are probably up there with the best we have played in my time here so we know we are up against a top team with international players all around it. But our aim is to try and win the game and ultimately the tie.”
Jan Kuchta started the Euros up front for Czech Republic, so he could come back into their starting XI ahead of Olatunji, and Veljko Birmančević will prove a handful attacking off the left, having featured for Serbia against England last month in Gelsenkirchen. Also, anyone who witnessed Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in Hamburg will remember the opening goal from Qazim Laci.
“Everyone knows Sparta Prague is a household name in European football,” said Pico Lopes, Rovers’ Cape Verde international. “This is why you want to play in these European competitions, to play against the very best.”
That is undoubtedly the case for Shamrock Rovers at an almost sold-out Tallaght (8,200 and counting), where an early goal from Johnny Kenny will briefly make the dream scenario seem possible.
Hope, however, is offset by Jack Byrne’s suspension after the Ireland international was sent off against Bohs.
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