So tell me more about Shamrock Rovers’ opponents in the league stage of the Conference League

Gone is the old group stage where clubs play three different teams home and away. We have a new Swiss Model show in town.

You probably know the details by now – there are 36 teams in the league stage with each team playing six different opponents with three matches home and three away across October, November and December. 

After that 24 teams will advance into the knockout stages in February 2025. Teams one to eight get a bye and go directly into the round of 16, while ninth to 24^th will go into a series of two legged matches to earn the right to go to the last 16. The rest are eliminated.

In Friday’s draw, Shamrock Rovers learned they will play Chelsea (A), Apoel Nicosia (H), Rapid Vienna (A), The New Saints (H), Boruc Banja Luka (H) and Larne (A).

The fixture list will be confirmed by UEFA on Saturday 31 August.

So here are some details on the oppoents of Shamrock Rovers (the Hoops have a UEFA ranking of 154).

Chelsea (ENG) - Away

UEFA coefficient ranking: 10

How they qualified: Play-offs (W3-2agg vs Servette)

Last season: Did not feature in UEFA club competition

Best Euroepan performance: Champions League winners 2012 and 2021

Fun facts:

When Chelsea’s Didier Drogba scored the winning spotkick in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, it meant Rovers were not seeded in the Champions League qualifiers the next season. The Hoops were drawn against FK Ekranas from Lithuania. Under then manager Stephen Kenny they suffered an embarrasing early European exit and Kenny didn’t last much longer in Tallaght.

John Coady was a crucial player in Rovers’ 1980s four-in-a-row before moving to Chelsea.

APOEL (CYP)  - Home

UEFA coefficient ranking: 106

How they qualified: Europa League play-offs (D3-3agg vs RFS, L2-4 on pens)

Last season: Conference League play-offs (L1-4agg vs Gent)

Best European performance: Champions League QF 2012 (losing to Real Madrid)

Fun facts:

Jack Byrne had a spell at the club in between his previous and current stint at Rovers.

The Hoops defeated APOEL in the 1978/79 European Cup Winners Cup winning 2-0 at home and 1-0 in Cyprus. 

Cyprus have the most clubs (3) of any country in the Conference League.

SK Rapid (AUT)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 109

How they qualified: Europa League play-offs (L3-4agg vs Braga)

Last season: Conference League play-offs (L1-2agg vs Fiorentina)

Best European performance: They twice reached the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1984-85 and 1995-96, losing on both occasions, to Everton and Paris Saint-Germain.

Fun facts:

The two sides have met in Europe previously. There is a great three minute video clip from the RTÉ archives with Philip Green commentating on the 1964 European Cup second leg in Dalymount Park that Rovers lost 2-0. The first leg in Vienna finished 3-0 to the home side.

They won the first of their record 32 Austrian titles in 1911-12 and, following the Nazi annexation of Austria, they made the best of a bad situation and won the German championship as well.

They made the knockout round play-offs in the Europa Conference League last season.

The New Saints (WAL)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 162

How they qualified: Play-offs (W3-0agg vs Panevėžys)

Last season: Champions League first qualifying round, Conference League second qualifying round (L3-4agg vs Swift Hesper)

Best European performance: This is the first time a team from Wales has made a league stage or group stage of a UEFA club competition.

Fun facts:

TNS dumped Bohs out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2010 after overcoming a first leg loss by winning the second leg in 4-0.

That match took place on the eve of Rovers’ Europa League qualifier loss to Juventus in Modena – with Alessandro Del Peiro scoring a superb free kick winner in the 1-0 victory for la Vecchia Signora.

Borac (BIH) - home

UEFA coefficient ranking: 258

How they qualified: Europa League play-offs (D1-1agg vs Ferencváros, L2-3 on pens)

Last season: Conference League second qualifying round (L1-3agg vs Austria Wien)

Best European performance: This year 

Fun facts:

They lost 6-2 on aggregate to PAOK in the second qualifying round of this year’s Champions League.

Linfield beat them 4-0 on aggregate in the Europa Conference League in 2021.

Larne (Northern Ireland) - away

UEFA coefficient ranking: 285

How they qualified: Play-offs (W4-3agg vs Lincoln Red Imps)

Last season: Champions League first qualifying round, Conference League second qualifying round (L1-7agg vs Ballkani)

Best European performance: This is the first time a team from Northern Ireland has made a league stage or group stage of a UEFA club competition.

Fun facts:

The Hoops have played a team from Northern Ireland just once before in Europe losing to Linfield on away goals in the 1984 European Cup. After 0-0 draw in Milltown, the second leg ended 1-1 in Windsor Park. 

Larne will play their Conference League home games in Windsor Park. Rovers last played there in the Setanta Sports Cup defeating Linfield 3-1 (7-2 on agg) in March 2013.

Shamrock Rovers’ Conference League opponents confirmed with draw throwing up Hoops trip to Chelsea, Larne and Rapid Vienna - https://t.co/94rjArr8tjhttps://t.co/dWAupozwkv

— extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) August 30, 2024