Thursday's UECL ACCA

St. Josephs v Shamrock Rovers, UECL, 5:00pm

Many had pencilled in a "All-Island" Conference League clash between Cliftonville and Shamrock Rovers, but St Joseph’s of Gibraltar tore up the script, dumping the Belfast side out in the opening round. Their reward? Yet another meeting with Irish opposition, having been eliminated by Shelbourne last season.

Shelbourne themselves recently made headlines by knocking out Linfield in the Champions League, but Rovers are only getting started in Europe this summer. As a seeded side, they received a bye into this round, and they'll be eager to build on last year’s historic run to the knockout stages of the Conference League, a first for any Irish club.

Currently top of the League of Ireland, Shamrock Rovers boast depth, experience, and a growing European pedigree. This is a team operating on a different level domestically, and arguably stronger than last year’s Shelbourne side who saw off St Joseph’s. On paper, they should have too much for the Gibraltarians.

That said, the Victoria Stadium pitch could be a leveller. The artificial surface, coupled with the sweltering heat, unsettled Shels last year in a fiery 1-1 draw that saw both sides reduced to ten men. With political tensions also bubbling after complaints about the Irish supporters chants during that tie, it’s unlikely to be a warm welcome for Rovers.

Still, with the firepower and European know-how at their disposal, Rovers should have enough to come through this with a lead ahead of the return leg in Tallaght.

Verdict: Shamrock Rovers @1.7

Zalgiris v Linfield, UECL, 5:00pm

Linfield make the trip to Lithuania this week as they look to bounce back from Champions League disappointment and kickstart a fresh European adventure in the UEFA Conference League against familiar foes Žalgiris Vilnius.

The sides last met in the 2021 Champions League qualifiers, with the Lithuanians running out 5-2 winners on aggregate. That tie began with a 3-1 first-leg defeat for the Blues in Vilnius, and David Healy’s side will be well aware of the threat their hosts pose, particularly on home soil.

Žalgiris drop down from the Champions League after losing to Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans on penalties.

Linfield, meanwhile, are still licking their wounds after an early Champions League exit at the hands of Shelbourne. A 1-0 defeat in Dublin last week followed a 1-1 draw at Windsor Park, ending their European hopes in that competition for another year. But they now have a second bite at the continental cherry.

Chris Shields, who featured in that loss to Shels, believes the Blues must be smarter in how they approach Thursday’s test.

“We can’t go gung-ho in the first 10 or 15 minutes,” the veteran midfielder warned. “We need to be structured and disciplined, that’s the key in Europe.”

David Healy echoed that sentiment, insisting his side have learned from their mistakes and are fully focused on what’s ahead.

“We’ve had a couple of tough weeks, but there’s a fresh challenge now. We’ve done our homework on Žalgiris, they’re strong, organised and clinical, but we believe we can get something.”

There’s no doubt Linfield will need to be at their very best. Match fitness could again be a concern, with Healy’s men having played just a handful of games so far this summer. Žalgiris, by contrast, are deep into their domestic campaign and looked sharp in both legs against Hamrun.

It was very evident in the two ties against Shelbourne just how big a disadvantage their lack of serious match practice was going up against a fully tuned up opponent, and that may bite the Blues again here, with Žalgiris going into this off the back of a 2-0 domestic win against Dziugas Telsiai.

Verdict: Žalgiris @1.83

St Patricks vs Nomme Kalju, UECL, 7:45pm

St Patrick’s Athletic return to European action on Thursday evening as they welcome Estonian side Nõmme Kalju to Richmond Park for the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie.

The Saints eased past Lithuanian outfit Hegelmann Kaunas in the opening round, securing a comfortable 3-0 aggregate victory with home and away wins. Stephen Kenny's side had been struggling for goals before those Euro assignments but the continental confidence clearly served St.Pat's well on Sunday as they smashed UCC 8-0 in the FAI Cup.

Kenny, the previous Republic of Ireland manager, only took over at St.Pat's in May 2024, and it was Europe where he really got going after a slow start initially. Kenny is renowned in Ireland for producing magic in Europe with Irish teams having led Dundalk to the group stages of the Europa League in 2016. He steered St.Pat's all the way to the UECL play-off round last season where they were only denied of a place in the league phase by İstanbul Başakşehir.

Standing in their way now is a Kalju side with continental experience of their own, though the level of domestic competition in Estonia offers little preparation for the kind of challenge they’ll face in Dublin. The Estonians progressed past Maltese side Balzan in the first round, but they now face a significant step up in opposition.

St Pat’s are unbeaten in five matches with the likes of Mason Melia and Aidan Keena offering creative spark, and a backline marshalled impressively by Joe Redmond and goalkeeper Joesph Anang, the Saints are expected to take the initiative in front of their home crowd.

There’s more than just progression at stake, as lurking in the third qualifying round are the heavyweights of Besiktas or Shakhtar Donetsk, making this clash a potentially historic gateway to a glamour tie for the Dubliners.

Kenny is likely to name an unchanged XI from last week’s professional second-leg showing in Kaunas, while Kalju arrive with a clean bill of health but may adopt a conservative approach as they look to keep the tie alive ahead of next week’s return leg in Tallinn.

With European nights at Richmond Park always carrying a special buzz, the Saints will be targeting a strong first-leg result to set themselves up for a decisive trip to Estonia, and perhaps even a date with one of Europe’s elite clubs.

Verdict: St.Patrick's Athletic @1.48