European football returns to Tallaght Stadium

EUROPEAN football returns to Tallaght Stadium as Shamrock Rovers bid to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League in the first qualifying round first-leg against Breidablik tonight.

The Hoops are expecting a tough clash when they host Icelandic top-tier outfit Breidablik on Tuesday night, with manager Stephen Bradley fully aware of the opposition’s threat.

“You’ll see straight away on Tuesday that they’re a good side,” Bradley said.

“They have lots of really good movement and move the ball really well.

“They’re a possession-based team and are really dangerous with how they move off the ball.

“They’re a good team and one that we’ll have to be at our very best against if we want to go through over the two legs.”

Breidablik scored 12 goals to reach the first qualifying round, beating Tre Penne from San Marino and FK Budućnost Podgorica from Montenegro in the Champions League preliminary rounds.

Last season, Breidablik won the Besta Deilgin, the top-tier in Iceland, with 10-points to spare but they are struggling to push the pace so far this year, sitting third in the league.

Breidablik succumbed to Aberdeen in the Europa League third qualifying round last season, while the Tallaght side reached the Europa Conference League group stage.

Hoops fans will be happy to see some key players return to the squad in preparation for the first leg tonight, and the second leg next Tuesday night in Iceland.

Jack Byrne was back training on Monday, while Lee Grace and Gary O’Neill are back in the squad along with goalkeeper Alan Mannus, after two-months on the sidelines

Trevor Clarke more than likely will not be available, but Neil Farrugia could be up for selection in the return leg.

Rovers have issued a reminder on its club website “that the club is exposed to substantial fines across a range of offences”, having breached UEFA regulations in 2022.

“The penalties are substantial should we re-offend” in the areas of pyrotechnics, stairwells and vomitories blocked, missiles thrown onto the pitch, pitch incursions, or offensive or politically motivated banners/flags, the club says.

Last season, Shamrock Rovers were fined €21,875 by UEFA for crowd related incidents.

Shamrock Rovers host Breidablik in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday night, at 7.45pm, with live coverage on RTÉ2.