The Europa League first round qualifying returns this week. Many teams are hoping to make it through to the next round and beyond. Two of those teams are Shamrock Rovers and Brann, who meet at the Tallaght Stadium in the second leg of their tie on Thursday night.
The first tie in Norway produced an entertaining 2-2 draw, which while leaving the tie in the balance, also favoured Shamrock due to their two away goals.
However, despite the slight advantage to the Irish side heading into the second leg, Rovers recent form will be a concern. The draw last time out means that Stephen Bradley’s team has now won just once in six outings in all competitions.
Rovers record in the Europa League in recent years is also a poor one, as they have now failed to win in their last five games in the competition. This looks unlikely to be an easy night for the home side.
The fact that Rovers have won just two of their 13 home games in Europe’s secondary competition will also make the visitors believe they can still progress from the tie.
Just like their opponents, Brann head into this clash in poor form, having failed to win in their last four outings in all competitions. Another thing the visitors have in common with their Irish hosts is a poor recent record in the Europa League, as they have won just two of their last eight outings in this competition.
Over 140 Brann-fans tar turen til Dublin sammen med oss ❤️ Gleder oss til å se dere på torsdag! Vi lader opp med et lite tilbakeblikk fra da vi møtte Everton i e-cupen i 2008. #Bergenpåtur pic.twitter.com/0J8M4KaFIn— Sportsklubben Brann (@skbrann) July 16, 2019
Over 140 Brann-fans tar turen til Dublin sammen med oss ❤️ Gleder oss til å se dere på torsdag! Vi lader opp med et lite tilbakeblikk fra da vi møtte Everton i e-cupen i 2008. #Bergenpåtur pic.twitter.com/0J8M4KaFIn
When it comes to games on their travels in this competition the Norwegian outfit does not have a great record, winning just once in five matches.
The first leg was an unusually high-scoring clash for Brann in the Europa League, as their four previous matches had produced under 2.5 goals.
With neither team in particularly great form, it will come as little surprise that Forebet predicts that the game will end in a goalless draw, which would see Shamrock progress to the next round on away goals.