Nov 29,2024
Shamrock Rovers are in Austria tonight as they begin the first of three European ties before Christmas with a view to sealing a place in the play-off round of the Europa Conference League.
The Hoops have had a superb run in the competition and are on course to make history by becoming the first Irish side to emerge from a group stage.
Rapid Vienna will provide their sternest test in Europe this calendar year since the meeting with Sparta Prague in the Champions League qualifying.
Stephen Bradley has targeted even avoiding the play-offs and finishing in the top eight in the Conference - they are currently seventh - a feat which may require a result in Austria and at home to Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Chelsea are the final opponent in a league phase which could not have fallen any better for the now former Premier Division champions.
Nevertheless there is a major difference between being handed a favourable draw and taking the chance.
Wins over Larne and TNS – both comfortable and demonstrating the superiority of the League of Ireland's flagship side compared to Northern Ireland and Welsh counterparts – have been key.
The top eight teams in the table will automatically reach the last 16 of the competition.
The teams ranked from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from ninth to 16th seeded for the draw.
A seeded draw could be massive if it is to be a play-off, yet that will be difficult with the calibre of opponent to come.
Tonight's game is significant step up - even from the APOEL home match - with Vienna possessing a 100% record so far.
Many will view the Chelsea match as the standout fixture of the campaign - understandably so as a giant of the Premier League - but over 20,000 fans are expected for this clash.
The last time an Irish side competed at the venue was Dundalk in 2020 when they lost 4-3 in the Europa League group stage.
That was an excellent display with Sean Hoare and Daniel Cleary, now with the Hoops, starting that game.
Currently second in the table in the league, Rapid are mid-season, five points off the top of the table.
Striker Dion Beljo, a 22-year-old Croatian signed from Augsburg on loan has been a big hit.
He scored against Bayern Munch while with his parent club and joined them for €3m.
They saw off some big names in qualifying for the Conference League, beating Wisła Kraków, Trabzonspor and Portuguese outfit Braga.
İstanbul Başakşehir, conquerors of St Patrick's Athletic in qualifying, were defeated 2-1 in their opening league phase match as well as wins over FC Noah and Petrocub.
They will see tonight's match as the chance to guarantee qualification to the Round of 16 and ensure they do not have to face the knockout phase play-off.
Stephen Bradley's men played a friendly last week against HJK Helsinki in Tallaght Stadium with a view to maintaining fitness.
The League of Ireland season ended four weeks ago so that has been one challenge for the manager.
Bradley is expecting a major test.
"It's a very difficult game, there’s no doubt about that. Rapid is a big club, a big team with a big tradition. We know they have some really good players when you watch them, so we know it’s a difficult game. But we’ve played a lot of top teams, so we’ll have no fear and we’ll go with a gameplan.
"Obviously we have to respect what they’re good at but at the same time, when we get our times in the game, we’ll see can we hurt them and that will be the aim.
"They have a really clear identity in what they try to do. They're a possession-based team, a lot of movement and rotation in the final third of the pitch. They try and penetrate at every opportunity so they’re a good team with good players, but that’s standard at this level of competition. We’ll give them the respect that they deserve, but we’ll do everything possible to get something out of the game."
Rory Gaffney and Aaron McEneff will be out until next season. Danny Mandroiu and Hoare also remain out due to injury.
Graham Burke is also doubtful.
Rapid boss Robert Klauß sees the Tallaght outfit as Ireland's version of Manchester City, feeling they are not as agricultural as he would have expected: "We are playing a team that is one of the best in their own league, they have won many titles.
"They have a very good ball circulation, they have a lot of control, they have many players in the midfield. They practice a lot of small passes.
"They are different from a team I would expect from Ireland. When you look at Ireland or Northern Ireland or other countries, they play a lot of what we would expect, that style of play, vertical, going for second balls or set pieces or all of the things we think.
"They speak about themselves as the Man City of Ireland, they want to be them.
"You can tell if you see them playing, they try and they achieve a lot of these things because of the formation but also how they build up and progress the last game into the last third and create goalscoring opportunities."
