Shamrock Rovers vs APOEL prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-10-02 19:00.
[p]Current four-time consecutive Irish Premier Division champions Shamrock Rovers suffered a setback in their quest for yet another domestic crown after losing at the weekend with the November finish line swiftly approaching. Attention swiftly shifts to what will be one of the biggest nights in recent memory, as Rovers enter the UEFA Conference League group/league phase for the first time since they failed to win a match in the 2021/22 edition (D2, L4).[/p]
[p]After navigating a Europa League qualification tie with Celje 3-2 on aggregate, Shamrock Rovers arrive here in the lowest tier of continental football courtesy of a 6-0 thrashing over two legs at the hands of PAOK. Such negative score lines are commonplace when the Hoops play in proper European competition as they’re winless in 12 group/league phase games (D2, L10), with all four defeats in their last group appearance ending without reply.[/p]
[p]Unsurprisingly, APOEL arrive here with the favourites tag and as Cyprus’ most decorated club, with their most impressive recent European achievement being their journey to the latter stages of the Europa League in 2019/20. Some discerning APOEL fans of a certain age may actually remember their pair of clashes against Shamrock back in the Cup Winners Cup of 1978/79, when they lost both games ‘to nil’![/p]
[p]Since then, they’ve played Irish opposition on two more occasions and won both times, which pairs well with APOEL’s promising start to their campaign after dropping down from Champions League qualification into the Conference League (W4, D1, L1). Focusing on this competition alone, APOEL could be in for a hard-fought affair as whilst they’ve kept three clean sheets in six away games, they failed to score in four of those trips (W2, D2, L2). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Graham Burke scored the crucial qualifying goal in extra time which ultimately brought Shamrock Rovers here, with his last eight club goals coming in winning causes. As for APOEL, veteran journeyman Youssef El Arabi scored in vain in their woeful European qualifying run, although he has struck decisively twice in domestic action since then. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Shamrock Rovers failed to score in four of their last five Conference League home games (D2, L3). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]