SHAMROCK ROVERS are just one tie away from guaranteeing themselves European group-stage football for the second time in the Stephen Bradley era
However, it won’t be easy against a Celje side who Bradley describes as “a team of international footballers”.
The XI that started their recent first-leg Champions League clash with Slovan Bratislava included David Zec, Žan Karničnik, Tamar Svetlin, Armandas Kučys and Luka Menalo, all of whom have been capped at senior international level, along with several others who gotten as far as U21s.
Liverpool fans will likely be familiar with their manager. Albert Riera made over 50 appearances for the Anfield outfit between 2008 and 2010, in addition to shorter stints in English football at Man City and Watford.
Having started his coaching career as an assistant with Turkish giants Galatasaray, Riera got his first managerial job with Olimpija Ljubljana in 2022.
After success in his first season there in the form of a league and cup double, he joined Slovenian rivals Celje.
And having guided Celje to the top of the table last season after 11 games, he could not resist an offer to return as manager of Bordeaux, with whom he had starred as a player between 2003 and 2005
However, just over a week ago, Riera rejoined Celje on a two-year deal.
After guiding the Ligue 2 side to 12th place, Bordeaux filed for bankruptcy, which saw them relegated to the French fourth tier and become an amateur club.
That dramatic scenario meant Riera’s position was effectively untenable. He returned to Celje, who had won the league without him under Croatian coach Damir Krznar.
Despite that title success, Krznar and his staff left with their contracts terminated by mutual consent once Riera became available again.
The ex-Liverpool star’s comeback has not begun well. Having drawn the first leg of their Champions League second-round qualifier against Slovan Bratislava 1-1 with Krznar in charge, Riera oversaw a 5-0 second-leg loss in Slovakia.
A 15th-minute red card for defender Damjan Vuklišević proved the catalyst for a disastrous performance and result.
Riera and co will be eager to compensate for that dismal showing against Shamrock Rovers tomorrow night.
Of course, the Irish side have problems too.
Key strikers Rory Gaffney and Johnny Kenny have been ruled out of the game.
Celtic loanee Kenny is expected to return quicker, though Stephen Bradley’s suggestion that the 21-year-old is two weeks away from playing indicates he is also set to miss next week’s return leg in Tallaght.
The conditions tomorrow might also be less than ideal for the Irish side.
“It’s really hot at the moment, I think it’s 30 degrees now,” Bradley said on Wednesday afternoon.
“We won’t know until we train later on in the stadium. You don’t get a feel for it until you’re training at roughly around the same time and seeing what it’s going to be like.
“But we’re a team that’s used to playing in different types of conditions around Europe throughout the years, so there’ll be no excuses regarding the weather.”
Domestically, it has been a sub-par season by the lofty standards the four-in-a-row title winners have set.
The Hoops were recently dumped out of the FAI Cup by arch-rivals Bohemians, while they sit 11 points behind Premier Division leaders Shelbourne, albeit with a game in hand, as the season enters its business end.
However, Bradley insists their disappointing form won’t influence the performance tomorrow night.
“You don’t think of anything else other than trying to win the game in front of you and that has never changed and never will.”
On Celje’s threats, Bradley adds: “They are a really good transition team, real pace in the final third, both wingers are quick, direct, their centre forwards have good movement and their midfielders are good footballers.
“Like a typical European team at this level, really good quality in the final third and dangerous in transition.
“They have scored a lot of their goals from transition. We have to make sure we respect that and are ready for that.”
He continues: “You just have to see their game against Slovan Bratislava — in the first leg, they should have been three-up.
“They had two disallowed goals for offside, one cleared off the line and they scored one.
“Then you look at the game in Slovan, they were controlling the game right until the sending-off.
“We know you are playing against a high-level team, but that is to be expected at this level.
“We know it’s going to be difficult, but I think we are in a good place and it’s one we are looking forward to.”
Bradley and his players have gained plenty of experience from multiple European games in recent years, most notably the Conference League group-stage campaign in 2022.
With away goals no longer applicable, the manager believes playing the second leg at Tallaght will help his side.
“We’ve learned over the years that European teams play different home and away,” the Dubliner adds.
“Look at Sparta two weeks ago in Tallaght, defending in a completely different way than they did at home. You would have expected that.
“They gave us a lot of respect in Tallaght whereas at home they went heavy on the press, man for man all over the pitch.
“That can work for or against you. We saw in Prague that Aaron Greene exposed them in behind to score a good goal but in Tallaght, they rarely gave us those opportunities because they defended at all times with four behind the ball.
“I’ve always liked having the second leg in Tallaght because we know what big European nights can be there.”
