Once again, Shamrock Rovers journey into the unknown. Avoiding defeat in Vienna against Rapid Wien would be a superb night’s work from Stephen Bradley’s undercooked side, especially with creative midfielders Danny Mandroiu, Aaron McEneff and Graham Burke out injured.
Two friendlies were arranged in Tallaght last week against HJK Helsinki to address the League of Ireland runners-ups’ lack of match sharpness. The Premier Division ended four weeks ago. Helsinki put six past them over 180 minutes.
Bradley and Rovers are still learning how to cope with a never-ending campaign as continued progress in the Conference League will coincide with the start of next season, which has been confirmed as a bumper tie against Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium on February 16th.
Rapid exist on a different level to Rovers, with Austrian internationals Louis Schaub and Matthias Seidl to cause plenty of damage off the wings while Mamadou Sangaré controls midfield and Croatian striker Dion Beljo seeks a 13th goal across all competitions.
They are second in the Austrian Bundesliga after 14 matches and their form in Europe indicates a tough night ahead for Pico Lopes and the Rovers defence.
Rapid lost a Europa League play-off to Braga of Portugal before Robert Klauß's side turned over Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey with two goals from Schaub. They sit fourth in the Conference standings after further wins over Armenian and Moldovan teams.
Rovers are seventh, inside the top eight and automatic qualification to the last 16, which guarantees an €800,000 windfall, following routine defeats of Larne and Welsh side TNS. An injury-time header from Dylan Watts to salvage a draw at home to Apoel Nicosia keeps them on course to reach a last-16 play-off.
Either way, Rovers are set to break the €5 million mark in Uefa prize money this season.
[ Shamrock Rovers turn focus to European ambitions following loss of titleOpens in new window ]
In a welcome change, Klauß paid some respect to Irish opposition by sending a staff member to Tallaght for the Helsinki game, noting on Wednesday that they do not employ a “vertical” style, even calling them the “Manchester City of Ireland”.
A possession-based approach from Rovers would be a mistake, with their 700 travelling fans sure to delight in some vertical football if they escape Vienna with a point.
“It’s a very difficult game, there’s no doubt about that,” said Bradley. “Rapid is a big club, a big team with a big tradition. We know they have some really good players when you watch them, so we know it’s a difficult game. But we’ve played a lot of top teams, so we’ll have no fear and we’ll go with a game plan.”
Rovers can afford to lose here and against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next month if they get a result against Bosnian outfit Borac in Tallaght on December 12th.
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