Thursday sees three teams from Ireland’s Premier Division take on European teams in the UEFA Conference League Qualifiers Second Leg. Shelbourne FC, Derry City and Bohemian FC all kick off on Thursday evening, each hoping to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Nõmme Kalju v Shelbourne
Thursday 30th July | 6:30pm Irish Time
Shelbourne hold a commanding advantage into Tallinn test
- Nõmme Kalju FC – 21/10
Our prediction: Shelbourne win 2-1
Shelbourne pulled off a convincing 5-2 win in their home leg against the Estonian side leaving them with a 3-goal cushion going into this away fixture at the Hiiu Stadium in Tallinn on Thursday.
Ahead of the first leg fixture, newly appointed Head Coach John Russell had hoped to make Shels fans “excited by what they’re coming to see” and the convincing win at Tolka Park proved to do just that. However, it’s early days for the new coach and fans will be expecting consistent results, not just high scoring ones. Thursday night will be a good test for the Irish side who currently sit in fifth of the Irish Premier Division.
However, whilst overturning a 3 goal deficit is admittedly a large task for any side, Nõmme Kalju have experience in beating an Irish side on their home turf, with a previous 1-0 win against Linfield at the Hiiu Stadium at the beginning of the month. The Estonians will be looking to pull off an upset on Thursday night, although they have only won three games by three goals or more this year.
Derry City v HNK Rijeka
Thursday 30th July | 6:30pm Irish Time
Rijeka’s defensive strength leaves Derry facing an uphill battle
Our Prediction: Rijeka win 1-0
Derry will look to turn things around after their narrow loss against the Croatian side in last week’s fixture, although the Northern Irish side face a difficult task having recorded only three wins in their last 10 matches. Whilst Derry had an opportunity to pull ahead in the first leg with a Michael Duffy header, the Irish sides overall lack of chances have pushed the odds firmly in the favour of the Croatian visitors.
Rijeka head into the second leg looking to extend their six-game winning streak as well as seeking to record a fifth straight clean sheet. They’ll rely on more heroic defensive efforts to deter any Derry goalscoring opportunities and midfielder Toni Fruk who recently returned from the World Cup with the Croatian national team will be sniffing out his third goal in three games for his club.
Ballkani v Bohemian Dublin FC
Thursday 30th July | 7pm Irish Time
Ballkani hold the edge, but Bohemian have already shown they can produce late European drama
Our Prediction: Ballkani edge a win 2-1
The Bohs went in as underdogs in the first leg but managed to secure a 2-1 result against the Kosovan outfit as Ross Tierney’s heroic 90th minute winner provided the edge for the Irish side, bringing exciting scenes to Dalymount Park stadium last week.
Despite this, Ballkani still edge it as slight favourites at 13/10 coming into the second leg, due to their European experience. The Kosovan side have become regulars in the qualifying rounds so will see a victory on home turf as a realistic expectation.
That said, Bohemian have proven to be a strong side that should not be underestimated and could realistically nick a 1-0 win or even a respectable draw which would be enough to see them progress.
