Shamrock Rovers vs Slovan Bratislava

Shamrock Rovers will play host to Slovan Bratislava at the Tallaght Stadium in the second leg of their Champions League qualifying tie, hoping to overcome a two-goal first-leg deficit.

A 2-0 loss in the reverse fixture saw Shamrock’s form continue as they take the field having won just two of their last six matches in all competitions (W2, D2, L2). For Shamrock, goals have been at a premium lately, with the ‘Hoops’ netting under 1.5 goals in eight of their previous ten competitive outings, which has been the case in four of their last five on home turf. If Shamrock find the net, it could well be early on, considering they’ve scored before half-time in three consecutive home games ahead of the kick-off but failed to add any in the second half twice in that period. Their defending also requires some improvement, considering they haven’t registered a clean sheet in each of their last five home matches.

On the other hand, Slovan are brimming with confidence after clocking up an eight-game unbeaten run, friendlies included (W7, D1), with four of their seven victories in that spread of fixtures being accompanied by a clean sheet. When it comes to competitive games, the ‘Sky Blues’ have suffered just one defeat in 17 road trips since losing to KuPs in a Europa League qualifier last summer, including walkovers (W12, D4, L1). Worryingly, though, they’ve conceded before half-time in three of their previous four competitive road trips. Slovan’s recent matches have shifted between low and high-scoring affairs, with the last six alternating between under and over 2.5 goals. One thing was common in that sequence, with five of the six games won/lost seeing the victor benefiting from scoring the opener.