2 weeks Ago
A WIN tonight away to Rapid Wien would be potentially among the most significant results in Shamrock Rovers’ history. , 10 points will give teams a 99% chance of finishing in the top 24 of the Champions League, guaranteeing progress, with 16 points resulting in a 98% chance of a top-eight finish and the bonus of bypassing the play-off round and advancing to the last 16. Given that teams in the Conference League play two fewer games at this stage, the required points tally to progress will naturally be lower for this competition.
After three matches — wins against Larne and the New Saints, and a draw with APOEL — Stephen Bradley’s men sit on seven points. The Hoops are seventh in the table, ahead of big names including Fiorentina, Real Betis and Copenhagen. Yet the game in Austria will be their greatest test so far.
And with tough fixtures to come home against Borac Banja Luka (12 December) and away to Chelsea (19 December), getting something from this evening’s clash would significantly boost their prospects. Rapid Wien are one of six teams to have retained a 100% record in the competition, beating İstanbul Başakşehir, Noah and Petrocub Hîncești. Managed by German coach, Robert Klauß, their squad contains several internationals, including Benjamin Böckle, who made Hungary’s squad for Euro 2020 and 2024.
Austria also included four Rapid Vien players for the latter tournament — Marco Grüll, Matthias Seidl, Leopold Querfeld and Niklas Hedl, however, both Grüll and Querfeld have since left for Werder Bremen and Union Berlin respectively. Christoph Lang and Guido Burgstaller have also been included in the national team’s recent squads. While previous opponents APOEL had a big win against Fiorentina, the Austrian side are seemingly a level above anyone the Premier Division outfit have faced in the Conference League.
“Rapid is a big club, a big team with a big tradition,” Bradley says. “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.
“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, with 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.” Rovers have already made history. Before this season, Dundalk were the only Irish team to have picked up a win at this stage in Europe, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2016.
The Hoops’ two victories this year are unprecedented for a League of Ireland club, though the new format has undoubtedly benefitted Rovers. Those results leave them in a strong position to become the first Irish club side ever to reach the knockout stages of a European competition. Bradley’s side responded well to the disappointment of being pipped to the league title by Shelbourne, beating TNS 2-1 in their most recent competitive fixture three weeks ago.
The players have taken some time off since then before suffering a 2-0 defeat in a friendly against Finnish side HJK Helsinki at Tallaght Stadium last week. The main headline from that game was a hamstring injury suffered by Aaron McEneff and Stephen Bradley confirmed earlier this week that the midfielder is expected to miss the rest of the campaign. They also played a second game the following day behind closed doors against HJK, losing 4-0.
But the result was secondary to getting players back up to speed following the domestic season’s conclusion. Markus Poom and Roberto Lopes were rested for the friendlies as the pair were involved with their countries during the most recent international break but are available tonight. Danny Mandroiu and Sean Hoare will miss this evening’s game, while Rory Gaffney is out until next season.
Meanwhile, Graham Burke — a standout performer in the victory against Larne — is doubtful. One player who will be available and goes into the match in a confident mood is Dylan Watts. The former Leicester City youngster has two goals from three Conference League appearances.
In addition, he registered four goals and seven assists from 30 Premier Division appearances in 2024. Following this stellar campaign, the 27-year-old midfielder was voted PFAI Player of the Year at a ceremony in Dublin last weekend. “I said before if our collective performances had been better domestically, I think Dylan would have got a lot more recognition throughout the year,” Bradley adds.
“But it’s great that his peers have recognised how good he’s been. It’s what we’ve seen, and as this award proves, he’s been the best player in the country and long may that continue. Dylan is at a good age, he’s maturing and he’s been top class for us.
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