Shamrock Rovers draw Partizan Belgrade
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
In a draw that included the likes of Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and Fulham, Italian giants Roma and Lazio, Scotland’s big two, Rangers and Celtic, Irish Champions Shamrock Rovers will welcome Serbian side Partizan Belgrade to Tallaght Stadium on the 18th of August.
Rovers were put in a group where they could have drawn Spanish side Atletico Madrid, Panathinaikos, Besiktas, Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine or actual opponents Partizan. The Irish side were one of the first team’s out of the draw which took place at 12:30 Irish time today and it appears to be difficult draw and will be the furthest distance Rovers will have travelled this season after previous games in Denmark and Estonia.
FK Partizan recently made Serbian history when the captured their 23rd and fourth successive Serbian League Title, becoming the first team to do so. Partizan have also been constant in European football, finishing runner-up in the old European Cup back in 1966 when they lost to Real Madrid and they reached the group stages last season but finished bottom of a group that included Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga.
Their current squad which has dominated their domestic league with 7 titles in 11 years includes many Serbian internationals such as goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic and club captain, Saša Ilic..
So far in European competition Partizan hammered Macedonian side Shkendija 5-0 on aggregate but then crashed out in the same round of Champions League qualifying as Shamrock Rovers when they surprisingly lost 3-2 to Genk of Belgium.
Across the Irish Sea, Scottish side Hearts have been handed a tough draw but will only have to travel as far as London after they were paired with Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs will be hoping to make an impact in this competition after impressive displays in Europe last season.
Fulham will continue their travels as they are heading to Ukraine to face Dnipro while Scottish Champions Rangers will face Maribor FC of Slovenia, they will look to progress past this round after a disappointing loss to Malmo of Sweden in Champions League qualifying.
Celtic were also in the draw and were handed a match against FC Sion who won the Swiss Cup for the 12th time in 2011, continuing their amazing feat of having never lost a cup final. Stoke City are also off to Switzerland. Their reward for their first ever European win over Hajduk Split in the last round is a tie against FC Thun.
Chris Hughton’s Birmingham City are drawn with Nacional from Portugal, the Championship side sealing a place in the draw for defeating Arsenal in the Carling Cup last season.
Sligo Rovers conquerors Vorskla will be on their way to the Romanian capital to play Dinamo Bucharest. Had St. Patrick’s managed a historic result last night they would have welcomed the much shorter trip to face Greek outfit PAOK which is ahead of Karpaty Lviv who beat the Irish side 5-1 on aggregate.
The first legs will be played in on Monday, 18th of August with the second legs taking place on the 25th.
Rovers were put in a group where they could have drawn Spanish side Atletico Madrid, Panathinaikos, Besiktas, Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine or actual opponents Partizan. The Irish side were one of the first team’s out of the draw which took place at 12:30 Irish time today and it appears to be difficult draw and will be the furthest distance Rovers will have travelled this season after previous games in Denmark and Estonia.
FK Partizan recently made Serbian history when the captured their 23rd and fourth successive Serbian League Title, becoming the first team to do so. Partizan have also been constant in European football, finishing runner-up in the old European Cup back in 1966 when they lost to Real Madrid and they reached the group stages last season but finished bottom of a group that included Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga.
Their current squad which has dominated their domestic league with 7 titles in 11 years includes many Serbian internationals such as goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic and club captain, Saša Ilic..
So far in European competition Partizan hammered Macedonian side Shkendija 5-0 on aggregate but then crashed out in the same round of Champions League qualifying as Shamrock Rovers when they surprisingly lost 3-2 to Genk of Belgium.
Across the Irish Sea, Scottish side Hearts have been handed a tough draw but will only have to travel as far as London after they were paired with Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs will be hoping to make an impact in this competition after impressive displays in Europe last season.
Fulham will continue their travels as they are heading to Ukraine to face Dnipro while Scottish Champions Rangers will face Maribor FC of Slovenia, they will look to progress past this round after a disappointing loss to Malmo of Sweden in Champions League qualifying.
Celtic were also in the draw and were handed a match against FC Sion who won the Swiss Cup for the 12th time in 2011, continuing their amazing feat of having never lost a cup final. Stoke City are also off to Switzerland. Their reward for their first ever European win over Hajduk Split in the last round is a tie against FC Thun.
Chris Hughton’s Birmingham City are drawn with Nacional from Portugal, the Championship side sealing a place in the draw for defeating Arsenal in the Carling Cup last season.
Sligo Rovers conquerors Vorskla will be on their way to the Romanian capital to play Dinamo Bucharest. Had St. Patrick’s managed a historic result last night they would have welcomed the much shorter trip to face Greek outfit PAOK which is ahead of Karpaty Lviv who beat the Irish side 5-1 on aggregate.
The first legs will be played in on Monday, 18th of August with the second legs taking place on the 25th.
