Partizan Belgrade -v- Shamrock Rovers

• Cathal Breathnach
• Thu, Aug 25 2011


Airtricity League Champions Shamrock Rovers face Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night, knowing a win will earn them a place in this season’s Europa League group stages. (Kick-off 7:30pm – Irish time)

Following last week’s 1-1 draw between the two sides at Tallaght Stadium, Michael O’Neill’s men travel with plenty of optimism to Serbia and with a chance to create history.

Gary McCabe’s equaliser for the Hoops last Thursday night could yet prove vital, but his manager knows that it will be incredibly difficult against a Partizan side who have won the Serbian title four times on the trot.

Speaking to Extratime.ie after the 1st leg, O’Neill admitted that his side struggled in the opening exchanges of last week’s game: “We had to work our way into the game.” remarked O’Neill. “We were a little bit overwhelmed. Part of that was down to the quality of opposition if I’m honest. It took us 15 or 20 minutes to get to grips with that.”

However, despite being outplayed in the early stages of the game, O’Neill was pleased with how his side played their way into proceedings: “Once we managed to get that foot-hold in the game for 10 minutes before half-time and the majority of the second half, we were the dominant force in the game, deservedly got our equaliser and we were a bit disappointed we didn’t get a winner.”

Rovers may well be without one of their star performers in the shape of Conor McCormack for the game, who is rated as extremely doubtful and there are even reports he didn’t make the trip to Belgrade. Better news on the injury front is that Karl Sheppard has travelled with the squad following his return from a lengthy absence against Galway at the weekend.

After pulling off a surprise draw, in some people’s eyes, last Thursday night, O’Neill believes his side will now be taken more seriously by their Serbian counterparts this time around: “They’ll be nervous. They’ll certainly be more respectful than maybe what they thought they would have to be. The longer the game stays at 0-0, the more anxious the situation becomes for them. ”

Rovers certainly go into the game as the underdogs, big underdogs in fact with the bookmakers, who quote odds of 11/1 for the men in green and white pulling off a shock victory, however, to quote the famous saying, “every dog has its day” and a win for the champions of Ireland would result in an Irish side reaching the group stages of an European competition for the first time ever.

Partizan Belgrade
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: Unavailable.

Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Dean Kelly, Ken Oman.
Doubtful: Conor McCormack.
Suspended: None.

Paddy Power odds: Partizan 2/9, Draw 9/2, Rovers 11/1.

Extratime.ie Prediction: Partizan Belgrade 3-0 Shamrock Rovers.