Europa League Qualifier Preview: Progres Niederkorn -v- Shamrock Rovers

• Macdara Ferris
• Mon, Jun 29 2015




PROGRES NIEDERKORN

Both Progres Niederkorn and Shamrock Rovers finished fourth in their respective domestic leagues last season and with the cup winners also finishing above them in the Luxembourg league (Differdange) and League of Ireland (St. Pat’s), this means both sides get a shot at Europe this season. The Europa League First Qualifying round first leg game between the two teams takes place in Oberkorn with a kick off of 6pm Irish time on Tuesday evening.

 

It is the Luxembourg side’s first European game in 33 years; they have only qualified for Europe on five occasions and the only goal they have scored in European action was in a 1-1 home draw against Glentoran in the 1981 European Cup – the last year they won a major domestic honour.

 

They have lost nine and drawn just that one game from their ten European matches (the Hoops meanwhile played 12 European games in 2011 alone). Progres entered the European draw with the ninth lowest UEFA co-efficient from the 142 sides that are in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League

 

Progres are currently in their off-season having played their last league game of the 2014/15 season at the end of May. They have played a couple of European warm-up friendlies in preparation for Tuesday’s match. They beat the cup winners Differdange 3-0 with Levy Rougeaux, Sebastien Thill and Giuseppe Rossini scoring. Last Friday they won 3-1 against F91 Dudelange, who are UCD’s Europa League opponents, with former Metz midfielder Olivier Casson scoring twice with Rossini grabbing another goal.

 

 

SHAMROCK ROVERS

After a three year absence, Shamrock Rovers return to Europe on Tuesday when they face Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn in Oberkorn. Pat Fenlon’s team were seeded coming into last week’s draw and they were happy with the tie they received. The game is certainly a winnable tie and logistically an easier trip compared with potential journeys to Georgia and Armenia that were a possibility after they were placed in a pot with five sides including clubs from those countries

 

This is a return to the Europa League competition where they have lost their last six games – that can be easily excused though, as they were matches in the Group Stages of the 2011 competition. After their famous Play off win in Belgrade against Partizan, they faced Spurs, PAOK and Rubin Kazan in the group phase of the competition.

 

This time around they face a team with no recent European pedigree and one who have only just returned to training after finishing fourth in the Luxembourg League when it concluded at the end of May.

 

Rovers come into the game on the back of a hard fought 2-1 win in Galway last Friday evening and have significant injury concerns ahead of the game. Fenlon went with Tim Clancy and David Webster at centre half in Galway after captain Conor Kenna was unavailable due to a groin strain. With Danny North and Mikey Drennan suspended as well, he started with Marty Waters up front on his own and he scored the second half winner in Eamon Deacy Park.

 

Drennan still has one more domestic game of his three match ban to serve – that will be next week’s match away to Dundalk – but he is almost certain to start in Luxembourg. Waters, who travelled to Rovers’ Europa League game against Spurs as a fan – has made a good case for inclusion for his first European start. He has scored in each of the Hoops’ last four games.

 

With Sean O’Connor out long term and Keith Fahey still recovering from a knee issue, Rovers fans will be hoping that Stephen McPhail’s leg injury picked up in Galway last Friday won’t keep him out of the game. They could do with his international experience, as there is just Gary McCabe left at the club from those who played with Rovers in the Europa League in 2011.

 

Craig Hyland was part of the Rovers squad back then as a back up goalkeeper and he is eagerly awaiting this European tie. “There was a great level of excitement around the dressing room,” said the ‘keeper speaking to extratime.ie about the draw (see here). “I’m massively excited. We’ve no league game between the first and second leg – we have a week to prepare against the same team twice so that is really beneficial.

 

“We will play them, get feedback from the game and play them again the following week. That will give us the basis for preparation. We have to be wary going into the game but we will be focused on getting our preparation right.” 

 

Extratime.ie also spoke with Rovers player Simon Madden on our European Special Sportscast and the defender is thinking positively ahead of the game. “It would be nice to get a couple of victories in Europe on your CV. With the draw we got, we should be looking to progress. We have to go away and play our own game. We know we need to perform if we are to progress.”

 

Referee: Zaven Hovhannisyan (Armenia).

 

 

MATCH STATS

Irish clubs have faced Luxembourg opposition on just three occasions. Dundalk have played teams from the Grand Duchy twice in recent years. In 2010 they beat Grevenmacker 5-4 on aggregate and last year they advanced having dispatched AS Jeuness Esch 5-1 on aggregate. The Hoops are the only other side to face a Luxembourg team. That was way back in 1966 when they won both the home and away legs 4-1 against Spora Luxembourg.

 

Rovers’ record goalscorer in Europe is Billy Dixon with four goals. He scored them all in the 1966/67 European Cup Winners Cup. He scored three of those goals against Spora Luxembourg in the 8-2 aggregate win. He also scored in the next round against Bayern Munich, when Rovers came within five minutes of knocking out the eventual cup winners. Having also scored three goals in Europe with Drumcondra, Dixon sits third in the all-time list of scorers for League of Ireland sides in Europe. Jason Byrne has ten goals with Glen Crowe top with 11 strikes.

 

Depeche Mode penned a song about the town where the first leg will take place. Called Oberkorn (It’s a small town) it was a B-side to their 1982 single The Meaning of Love. Oberkorn played host to the mighty Real Madrid. The Spanish giants defeated Progres 7-0 in the venue in the 1978/79 European Cup.

 

 

BETTING

Progres Niederkorn 17/10; Draw 11/5; Shamrock Rovers 11/8.

 

PREDICTION

2-1 away win.

 

 

Progres Niederkorn

Injured: Unknown.

Doubtful: Unknown.

Suspended: None.

 

Shamrock Rovers

Injured: Sean O’Connor, Keith Fahey.

Doubtful: Danny North, Stephen McPhail, Max Blanchard, Conor Kenna.

Suspended: None.