Europa Conference League play-off Preview: Flora Tallinn -v- Shamrock Rovers

FLORA TALLINN

Flora face Shamrock Rovers on Thursday evening in Tallinn (kick off 5pm Irish time) in the first leg of their play-off battle to make the group stages of the inaugural Europa Conference League. 

Flora have had limited game time in domestic action over the last month or so with matches postponed to help them progress in Europe. 

In the last six weeks, they have played only three league games – winning one, drawing one and suffering their first league defeat of the season last weekend when they lost 1-0 to FC Kuressaare  the bottom side in the ten team Meistriliiga.

It was FC Kuressaare’s first win over Flora in nine seasons but Jürgen Henn rested a number of his players for that game. They sit second in the table a dozen points behind FCI Levadia Tallinn with three games in hand.

Unlike the Hoops, Flora won their Champions League first qualifying round, before elimination from the top tier of UEFA club competitions in the next round at the hands of Legia Warsaw where they put in a credible performance albeit losing the first leg away 2-1 and the home leg 1-0.

They dropped into the Europa League third-qualifying round where they lost 1-0 in Cyprus to Omonia and were trailing 1-0 at half-time in the second leg at home. 

25-year-old Rauno Sappinen, scored twice in the second half with his 88^th minute goal taking the game to extra-time. The striker is their top scorer this season with 12 goals in 16 league games and six goals from six games in Europe. 

Defender Marten Kuusk was sent off late in extra-time and will miss the first leg of the game against Rovers. Flora lost the penalty shoot-out 5-4 with Marco Lukka and Stein Reinkort missed their spotkicks.

Flora have lost just the one game this season and have conceded only 12 goals in 17 games (including ten clean sheets).

At the pre-match press conference in the stadium on the eve of the game, Jurgen Henn confirmed he has a full squad to choose from bar the suspended Kuusk.

For more from Henn, see report below:

Flora face date with history in Hoops play-off clash https://t.co/eWj5K22GUipic.twitter.com/loeV0QoPjV

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) August 18, 2021

  SHAMROCK ROVERS  

For the winner of this play-off between Flora and Rovers it is a place in the group stages of the inaugural Europa Conference League, six more matches in Europe right through to December and a sizeable cheque from UEFA.

The prize money awaiting the winner is €2.94m and entry into the group stages where each point is worth €166,000. The loser will collect €750,000 for elimination at this stage plus an additional payment of €260,000 as a domestic champion failing to make the group stages of any of the three UEFA competitions.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Tallinn, Stephen Bradley said he expects “a very difficult game”. 

The Hoops Head Coach noted that “Flora are a good team. I've watched their games and are very good. I know on Saturday (when they lost 1-0 in the league) they made a lot of changes to their team but when you watch the European games they have been very good. 

“I really like how they play. We know it is a difficult game but we come here full of confidence and ready to go through over the two legs. 

“The play-off gives both clubs a fantastic opportunity obviously to progress into some really big games.”

The Hoops will have to do without Aidomo Emakhu (who scored the winner in the home leg against Teatu in the last round) and defender Lee Grace. Celtic-bound Liam Scales is likely to be deployed in the Rovers back three with Sean Kavanagh coming in at left wing back.

“It is a blow to miss both players but the players who will come in and play are equally as good and ready. It is very unfortunate for Lee as he has been playing really well. He has got back to his levels from last year. He has been very good in recent weeks. 

“At the start of the year when we are building the squad we always try and make sure we have cover for every position and make sure the squad is really even in terms of the level of player across the squad.”

To read more from the Rovers Head Coach, see report below:

Stephen Bradley: ‘We couldn't be coming into this game at a better time.’ https://t.co/9KTd93z8Lfpic.twitter.com/cbuNCfZ5hw

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) August 18, 2021

Referee: Yevhenii Aranovskiy (Ukraine)

MATCH STATS

Both Ronan Finn and Alan Mannus played against Flora in the Champions League qualifiers in 2011. In the first leg in Tallaght, Mannus saved a penalty and Finn provided the assist for Chris Turner to score the only goal of the game. The second leg ended in a scoreless draw. Flora striker Rauno Alliku also played in that Champions League qualifier a decade ago.

Rovers 2-0 win in Albania last week was the club’s third win in a row in Europe – the first time the club has managed that feat. The winning margin over Teuta was the largest in Europe since 1982 and just the third time in a European tie they have kept clean sheets in both the home and away legs.

Stephen Bradley, with 17 European matches in charge of Shamrock Rovers, set the record in Albania last week for most matches any coach has managed the Hoops in Europe. Bradley’s record going into this week’s game is seven wins, four draws and six defeats. Michael O’Neill managed three wins in Europe from his 16 matches while John Giles won four of his eight European games.

PREDICTION

1-1 

Flora Tallinn

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Martin Kuusk

Shamrock Rovers

Injured: Neil Farrugia, Lee Grace, Aidomo Emakhu

Doubtful:  None

Suspended: None

Match Day Minus One pic.twitter.com/ryO39DYcly

— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) August 18, 2021