Shamrock Rovers play host to Floriana in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round on Tuesday. Daniel Portela’s side placed one foot in the second round with a dominant display in Malta and will be aiming to complete the task at the Tallaght Stadium.
Ten-man Shamrock Rovers saw their Champions League dreams suffer a major blow last Tuesday when they fell to a 2-0 loss against Floriana, with Robert Maurice and Mutapha Jah getting on the scoresheet at the Centenary Stadium.
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While Stephen Bradley’s men’s UCL dreams have taken a major hit, they are currently firing on all cylinders in the Irish Premier Division, where they are unbeaten in five consecutive games and hold a healthy seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Shamrock Rovers are looking to become the first Irish outfit to feature in the Champions League group stages, having secured a place in the qualifiers after clinching the league title last season with 66 points from 36 matches.
Floriana, meanwhile, clinched their first Maltese Premier League title last season, beating Marsaxlokk FC 2-1 in the playoff final on May 16 to book their spot in the UCL qualifiers.
Portela’s side travel to Dublin on a streak of four consecutive victories in all competitions, scoring five goals and keeping three clean sheets since a 4-1 loss against Hamrun Spartans on April 25.
Floriana will be backing themselves to get the job done on Tuesday as they are unbeaten in their last nine away games across all competitions, including three wins from three matches since the start of April.
Shamrock Rovers vs Floriana Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be just the second meeting between Shamrock Rovers and Floriana, with the Maltese outfit claiming a 2-0 victory when they first met in last week’s reverse leg.
- With last Tuesday’s first-leg victory, Floriana have won four straight matches across all competitions, their longest winning streak since January.
- Shamrock Rovers have lost just one of their last eight competitive home matches, while picking up six wins and one draw since the start of April.
- Floriana are on a run of nine consecutive away games without defeat, claiming six wins and three draws since the turn of the year.
Shamrock Rovers vs Floriana Prediction
Following last week’s result, Shamrock find themselves staring down at early elimination from the UCL qualifying race, and we expect them to do everything possible to win in front of their home supporters.
Bradley’s men remain a superior side on paper, and while we expect Floriana to take a defensive approach to the game, we see them getting all three goals to turn the tie around.
Prediction: Shamrock Rovers 3-0 Floriana
Shamrock Rovers vs Floriana Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Shamrock Rovers to win
Tip 2: First-half winners – Shamrock to lead at halftime
Tip 3: Over 10.5 corners – No (There have been fewer than 11 corner kicks in Shamrock’s last nine games)
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli