The road to the UEFA Europa League‘s league phase continues at Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday, where Shamrock Rovers and KF Egnatia lock horns in the first leg of their third-round qualifying tie. The midweek clash features two sides that participated in the Champions League qualifiers last month but will have to settle for the next best thing after suffering elimination.
Shamrock’s quest for continental football this season took them to Malta in the first round of the qualifiers, where they lost 2-0 to Floriana. They then righted their wrongs in the return leg on their home patch, claiming a dominant 5-1 victory to advance to the second round.
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A similar pattern looked set to unfold in the second qualifying round as the Hoops fell 2-0 to Ararat-Armenia in their first-leg clash on the road. However, despite picking up a win at Tallaght Stadium, it proved insufficient for Shamrock, who only managed a 2-1 victory to lose the tie on aggregate.
KF Egnatia, meanwhile, took on Petrocub in their UCL qualifying opener, playing out a 1-1 draw in the first-leg clash in Moldova before carrying out a 6-1 rout in the second leg to ease into the next round.
Drawn against NK Celje in the second qualifying round, Egnatia punched above their weight in both legs, holding on for a 3-3 draw in the first and a 2-2 stalemate in the second. However, it was in the penalty shootout where the Albanian club faltered, missing two of their three attempts to crash out of the tournament.
Shamrock Rovers vs KF Egnatia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Shamrock and Egnatia will meet for the first time this week.
- Shamrock’s only previous competitive encounter against Albanian opposition came during the 2021-22 Europa Conference League qualifiers, when they met KF Teuta, winning the two-legged tie 3-0 on aggregate.
- Egnatia have just two regulation wins in their last 11 competitive away games.
- The Hoops have won their last four games at the Tallaght Stadium, scoring 14 goals in that period.
Shamrock Rovers vs KF Egnatia Prediction
Shamrock head into the midweek clash in good shape, having lost just one of their last five outings, and have our backing to take the win here.
However, the Irish club cannot afford to bring anything less than their A-game if they are to overcome an Egnatia side who have already proven capable of upsetting the odds.
Prediction: Shamrock Rovers 2-1 KF Egnatia
Shamrock Rovers vs KF Egnatia Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Shamrock Rovers to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli