Shamrock v NK Celje

Shamrock Rovers vs Celje Preview

Shamrock Rovers returned to their Tallaght Stadium for the weekend's 1-1 draw at home with Drogheda United in the Irish Premier Division and the Irish club will hold home advantage once again for this 2nd leg of their 3rd qualifying round tie with Slovenian outfit Celje when the two teams face off once again on Thursday night.

Shamrock Rovers will be desperate to not only cancel out the one-goal deficit as soon as possible here on Thursday night but also gain the winning goal on the night in order to send them through to the play-off stage of this season's Europa League competition.

However, this may be easier said than done as Shamrock Rovers have managed to pick up just one win from their previous six games in all competitions which came in the form of a 2-1 win on the road at Waterford in the Irish domestic top flight, but also includes being dealt four defeats as well.

The Irish hosts had previously competed in the early qualifying rounds of the Champions League which saw them achieve a 2-1 win on aggregate against Icelandic outfit Vikingur Reykjavik, but their joy was short-lived as Stephen Bradley's side were then handed a heavy 6-2 loss at the hands of Sparta Prague.

Goals may eventuate here though as five of Shamrock Rovers' last 10 home games have resulted in both teams scoring.

Celje managed to grab what could prove to be a valuable 1-0 win in last week's 1st leg clash at their Stadion Z'dežele with a 1-0 victory over their Irish counterparts but this upcoming trip to Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night is not expected to be an easy assignment for the Slovenian visitors.

Nevertheless, Celje celebrated last week's win in the Europa League by putting Radomlje to the sword in a 4-2 defeat on home soil on the weekend in the Slovenian 1. SNL which will no doubt give Albert Riera's side plenty of confidence for this return leg in Ireland.

Celje are another side who began this season in the early qualifying rounds of the Champions League and the Slovenian outfit made a promising start to their European campaign as they recorded a comprehensive 7-1 win against Estonian side Flora Tallinn before holding Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava to a 1-1 draw at home in the 1st leg of their following tie.

However, a resounding and emphatic 5-0 defeat away from home in the return leg in Slovakia dumped Celje into this 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, while the goals market appeals in this upcoming fixture as five of their last 10 games overall have seen both teams score.

Shamrock Rovers v Celje Verdict

This 2nd leg of this Europa League tie is still very much for the taking and both sides hitting the back of the net looks likely here.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.72

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.50

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 7.00