Flora Tallinn -v- Shamrock Rovers
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Shamrock Rovers take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions
League second qualifying round tie with Flora Tallinn on Tuesday night
and Michael O’Neill’s men will be confident of progressing to meet FC
Copenhagen in Round Three. (Kick off, 4.45pm - Irish time). Extratime.ie will provide full Live Updates of the game.
Rovers enter the second leg knowing that they dominated the game at Tallaght and might well have won by more than the solitary Chris Turner goal that arrived after 33 minutes. But European football is an unforgiving arena and it remains to be seen if the current Irish champions will regret not making more of their domination on home soil.
In the 44 year span of Rover’s European experience, a period that has featured 22 separate campaigns, they have never won through a European Cup or Champions League tie. The closest the Hoops came to progressing was in 1984 when a 1-1 aggregate scoreline against Linfield was decided in favour of the Belfast club on the away goals rule.
That 0-0 draw in Windsor Park and another scoreless draw away to Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia in 1987 remain the only positive results in their experience of Europe’s Premier club competition. However, Rovers more recent European form is more encouraging with last season’s Europa League campaign providing them with a 2-1 aggregate win over Bnei Yehuda that included a 1-0 win in Israel courtesy of a 70th minute goal by Thomas Stewart.
That game represented Rovers’ fifth away win in Europe with Spora Luxembourg (’66), Apoel Nicosia (’78), Fram Reykjavik (’82) and Odra Wodzislaw (‘03) also suffering defeat at the hands of a travelling Hoops side.
Flora, meanwhile, have participated in Europe for the past 18 consecutive seasons, every year since they made their UEFA bow in 1994. But while their consistency is impressive they have only managed to win through one European tie. That came in 2006 when a 1-1 away draw was enough to see them through against Lyn Oslo on the away goals rule. They also came close in 2008 when going out on away goals following a 2-2 aggregate tie against Swedish side Djurgardens.
Other European wins include a 1-0 win over Norwegian side Lillestrom in 1995, a 3-1 win over Steaua Bucharest in 1998, a 2-1 win over Esbjerg in 2005 and most recently a 1-0 win over the Danish side Brondby in 2009. However, despite these wins, Flora failed to progress on each occasion.
In team news, Karl Sheppard did not travel due to an ankle injury. Michael O'Neill also confirmed that the game will most likely be goalkeeper, Alan Mannus' last for the club. Apart from that Rovers have a fully fit and available squad.
Flora Tallinn
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: None.
Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Karl Sheppard (ankle).
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Referee: Dimitar Meckarovski (Macedonia).
Paddy Power Odds: Flora 6/4; Draw 11/5; Rovers 8/5.
Extratime prediction: Rovers to get a 1-1 draw and go through to Round three.
Rovers enter the second leg knowing that they dominated the game at Tallaght and might well have won by more than the solitary Chris Turner goal that arrived after 33 minutes. But European football is an unforgiving arena and it remains to be seen if the current Irish champions will regret not making more of their domination on home soil.
In the 44 year span of Rover’s European experience, a period that has featured 22 separate campaigns, they have never won through a European Cup or Champions League tie. The closest the Hoops came to progressing was in 1984 when a 1-1 aggregate scoreline against Linfield was decided in favour of the Belfast club on the away goals rule.
That 0-0 draw in Windsor Park and another scoreless draw away to Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia in 1987 remain the only positive results in their experience of Europe’s Premier club competition. However, Rovers more recent European form is more encouraging with last season’s Europa League campaign providing them with a 2-1 aggregate win over Bnei Yehuda that included a 1-0 win in Israel courtesy of a 70th minute goal by Thomas Stewart.
That game represented Rovers’ fifth away win in Europe with Spora Luxembourg (’66), Apoel Nicosia (’78), Fram Reykjavik (’82) and Odra Wodzislaw (‘03) also suffering defeat at the hands of a travelling Hoops side.
Flora, meanwhile, have participated in Europe for the past 18 consecutive seasons, every year since they made their UEFA bow in 1994. But while their consistency is impressive they have only managed to win through one European tie. That came in 2006 when a 1-1 away draw was enough to see them through against Lyn Oslo on the away goals rule. They also came close in 2008 when going out on away goals following a 2-2 aggregate tie against Swedish side Djurgardens.
Other European wins include a 1-0 win over Norwegian side Lillestrom in 1995, a 3-1 win over Steaua Bucharest in 1998, a 2-1 win over Esbjerg in 2005 and most recently a 1-0 win over the Danish side Brondby in 2009. However, despite these wins, Flora failed to progress on each occasion.
In team news, Karl Sheppard did not travel due to an ankle injury. Michael O'Neill also confirmed that the game will most likely be goalkeeper, Alan Mannus' last for the club. Apart from that Rovers have a fully fit and available squad.
Flora Tallinn
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: None.
Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Karl Sheppard (ankle).
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Referee: Dimitar Meckarovski (Macedonia).
Paddy Power Odds: Flora 6/4; Draw 11/5; Rovers 8/5.
Extratime prediction: Rovers to get a 1-1 draw and go through to Round three.
About Simon O'Gorman
Simon O'Gorman began reporting for Extratime in 2010. He remembers Milltown and Flower Lodge and, back in the mists of time, saw Diego Maradona play at Lansdowne Road. He now lives in Co Kildare and … View Full Profile