Shamrock Rovers players celebrate Graham Burke’s goal agaisnt Bohemians in Tallaght Stadium. Photo by Una Murray
Rovers are back in Europe with trip to Sparta Prague
SHAMROCK Rovers embark on the first game of the UEFA Conference League this Thursday evening as they travel to the continent to take on Sparta Prague.
Rovers reached the group stages of the Conference League following a hugely impressive qualification campaign which saw them defeat Portuguese side Santa Clara to ensure their place in the tournament along with securing themselves a guaranteed €3 million + sum of prize money for achieving qualification.
They will play six games in the Conference League which will take them across the continent, among their opposition are old foes Celje along with Sparta Prague, AEK Athens and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Certainly it will be an uphill battle for Rovers to match their performance from last year however they will be hoping to get themselves off to a positive start on Thursday evening.
Manager Stephen Bradley revelled in playing the Czech side and was more than happy with the fixture coming immediately after the high of the Dublin Derby win against Bohemians last Friday when speaking after that game.
“I’m actually delighted that it’s Sparta after tonight.
‘I hate when it is this type [match against Bohemians] of game and on a Monday or Thursday in this instance it is a so-called ‘easier’ game.
‘Your energy levels and your concentration can dip. When it’s Sparta we can’t afford to dip, we know we’re going up against a proper team and we’ve got to make sure that we are ready, and we will be.”
They certainly will have a difficult game on their hands on Thursday.
While finishing fourth in the Czech league last year, Sparta Prague are currently on top of the division ten games into the season having only lost a single game so far.
Their last two games in all competitions have seen them score eight goals.
They possess two potent attacking threats with striker Albion Rrahmani and midfielder Veljko Birmancevic both scoring five goals in the league each so far this season.
