Celje vs Shamrock Rovers Match Analysis & Prediction
08/08/2024 9:15 pm
Slovenian champions NK Celje play host to Irish side Shamrock Rovers at Stadion Z’dezele for the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday night.
Celje have dropped down into the Europa League qualifiers after suffering a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League second round qualifiers, with a 1-1 first-leg draw followed by a heavy 5-0 defeat in the reverse fixture on July 30.
Albert Riera’s side celebrated winning their second Slovenian Prva Liga title last season, finishing 13 points clear of their nearest challengers Maribor, and they began the defence of their top-flight crown with a 2-1 home victory over NK Bravo just over three weeks ago.
However, the Yellow and Blues suffered their first league defeat of the new season last Saturday when they lost 1-0 to Mura, with a 10th-minute strike from Mark Strajnar ultimately enough to settle the closely-fought contest.
Celje will be keen to return to winning ways against Shamrock Rovers as they endeavour to qualify for the main stage of a European competition for the first time in their 104-year history.
Shamrock Rovers have also dropped down into the Europa League qualifiers after they suffered a 6-2 aggregate defeat to Sparta Prague in the Champions League second round qualifiers at the end of July, having previously beaten Vikingur Reykjavik 2-1 on aggregate in the first round.
A 4-2 second-leg defeat in Czechia just over a week ago represented their third loss in a row across all competitions, but they bounced back with a much-needed victory in the League of Ireland Premier last Friday, beating Waterford 2-1 away from home.
Stephen Bradley’s side have subsequently climbed to third in the Irish top-flight standings and with 12 matches remaining, they sit seven points behind second-placed Derry City – who have played a game more – and nine adrift of league leaders Shelbourne.
Shamrock Rovers will now turn their attention to the Europa League and are bidding to qualify for the main stage of the competition for just the second time in their history having previously competed in the 2011-12 group stage.
Celje vs. Shamrock Rovers Head to head
This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
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Celje Team News
Celje will assess the fitness of midfielder Tamar Svetlin, who has missed the last two matches with an unspecfied issue.
Defender Damjan Vuklisevic is suspended following his red card in the second-leg defeat to Slovan Bratislava.
Celje's Last 5 Matches
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16/07/2024Celje2Flora1Champions League
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21/07/2024Celje2Bravo11. SNL
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24/07/2024Celje1Slovan Bratislava1Champions League
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30/07/2024Slovan Bratislava5Celje0Champions League
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03/08/2024Mura1Celje01. SNL
Shamrock Rovers Team News
Experienced striker Rory Gaffney has been sidelined for Shamrock Rovers since the end of April with an unspecified injury and will not recover in time for Thursday’s contest.
Josh Honohan will be pushing to return to the starting lineup as either a right-sided centre-back of a right wing-back, while Markus Poom and Richie Towell could be recalled in centre-midfield.
Shamrock Rovers's Last 5 Matches
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16/07/2024Shamrock Rovers2Vikingur Reykjavik1Champions League
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19/07/2024Bohemians1Shamrock Rovers0FAI Cup
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23/07/2024Shamrock Rovers0Sparta Prague2Champions League
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30/07/2024Sparta Prague4Shamrock Rovers2Champions League
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02/08/2024Waterford1Shamrock Rovers2Premier Division
Celje vs. Shamrock Rovers: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
1X2: 1
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