In the initial leg of the Europa League play-off, Greek champions PAOK will square off with Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers. This crucial match is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Thursday at Toumba Stadium and will be broadcasted live over the LOITV streaming service.
National anticipation may not be at its peak, but the occasion is momentous for Shamrock Rovers, who stand on the brink of making it to the Europa League’s group stages for only the second time in their century-long existence.
The Rovers’ last journey to the Europa League’s primary rounds in 2011 ended in disappointment as they came in the last spot in a group topped by PAOK. Moreover, they lost all their six matches to teams that included eminent clubs like Tottenham Hotspur who themselves failed to advance beyond the Russian team Rubin Kazan.
Since then, the Rovers made it to the Uefa Conference League in 2022, however, they found themselves outplayed by the competing teams from Sweden, Norway, and Belgium, proving that there’s a significant gap in competitive levels.
Much hasn’t shifted over the past couple of years. The Irish football scene is struggling with outdated facilities and financial woes while seemingly sliding further down the international football chain.
Regardless of the outcome against PAOK, Tallaght Stadium and Rovers may still stand out in this universal narrative.
The Rovers, estimated at a humble €5 million, are up against Razvan Lucescu’s €100 million squad. If the Greek team comes out on top, Stephen Bradley’s Rovers will find themselves in the Conference League draw due next Friday. They could likely be followed by St Patrick’s Athletic and even Chelsea with a current squad value of €1.1 billion.
The beginning of the year held the promise of heralding the Rovers’ most glorious season, with the possibility of securing their fifth consecutive Premier Division title, however, it is becoming an increasingly challenging task. Yet, it’s not too late for the Rovers to pave their way to triumph.
With 11 matches still to go, they trail Shelbourne by 10 points, and the pressure of playing six definite European matches could lead Rovers into a similar situation two years ago, when their manager Bradley, then 39, had to opt for weaker teams while playing against Gent and Molde to avert defeat by Derry City and secure their third consecutive victory.
In Bradley’s words, their visit to Greece has to involve their best players, similar to when they had to tackle Sparta Prague’s prowess (Rovers had previously lost to them in the Champions League). He stressed that their main focus presently was winning the game in Greece, while their Galway match was to be dealt with when they returned. Achieving parity or losing by a small margin to PAOK could put the latter in a position identical to the one in 2021, when they were narrowly defeated by Bohemians 2-1 with only 8,000 spectators owing to pandemic restrictions, leading to the Greeks scraping through for a 3-2 aggregate victory.
The weather in Thessaloniki is poised to be summer-like, and apart from the injured Johnny Kenny and Rory Gaffey, the new recruit Danny Mandroiu is set to play for the Hoops. While it doesn’t hint at the onset of a significant change in Irish football, the mention of Rovers in the same context as international teams like PAOK and Chelsea is certainly a point of national interest.