Sparta Prague feeling the pressure ahead of clash with 'well-organised' Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley celebrates with Aaron Greene after victory in the Champions League first qualifying round against Vikingur Reykjavik. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Two meetings with Sparta Prague may be the closest Shamrock Rovers get to Champions League royalty but it’s all part of their endgame of European group involvement.

Back-to-back titles reinforces the capital club’s reputation as the powerhouses of the Czech domestic game, usurping Prague neighbours Slavia and Viktoria Pilsen.

Over the past decade they’ve shared company with Europe’s elite, their memorable nights including wins over Lazio, Celtic and Inter Milan.

Most recently, their Champions League march was ended by Copenhagen, who used their penalty shootout victory as a springboard to scalp Erik ten Haag’s Manchester United in the group stage.

Sparta’s consolation prize was dropping into the Europa League where they were eliminated at the last-16 stage by the juggernaut of Liverpool last March.

Where Rovers have the edge is fluency of being in midseason. Last Friday was the first competitive action of the campaign for the Czechs, a League Cup type 2-1 win against Pardubice but they are only gradually integrating their six players involved at the Euros.

Those include Jan Kuchta and Martin Vitik for their homeland, Albanian midfielder Qazim Laçi and Veljko Birmančević, the Serbian who featured against England.

Their Danish manager Lars Friis has strengthened by recruiting one of his own, 23-year-old defender Mathias Ross on loan from Galatasaray, while Spanish full-back Imanol García de Albéniz has also been borrowed from Athletic Bilbao.

“Of course, we are not in the best shape yet but we are working hard to get back to it quickly," said Friis about their conditioning levels in the context of balancing the workloads of those on recent international duty.

"I don't think that a certain lack of play should be attributed to us yet.” 

For all their strides in the subsidiary competitions, it’s the Champions League where Sparta are determined to reside. They’ve been close on a couple of occasions since last inhabiting that sphere in 2006 and are insistent on reclaiming their place by hurdling the next three rounds.

“We are the biggest club in the Czech Republic so of course I feel the pressure,” admitted Friis. “On the other hand, it's nothing new for us. I have already spent some time in Sparta, winning two titles and a cup so have got used to the pressure.

"We must stay disciplined and focused to win. We will build on the experience from previous seasons in Europe; the players know how to play and they know what we want from them.

“From what we've seen, Shamrock Rovers are a well-organised team that works hard defensively. They play in a clouded block and have dangerous counterattacks. They can play very fast and intense."

Rovers must make do with the suspended Jack Byrne in their quest to cause an upset. They’ve been further stretched by injuries to Graham Burke and Aaron McEneff, two other attacking threats. All three should be back for next week’s trip to Prague, a match the Hoops will want to be relevant after Tuesday’s opening 90 minutes.

“These tests are what we work so hard for,” said Rovers boss Stephen Bradley. ”Sparta operates at a high level but we’re aiming to compete and win the match.” 

Monday saw Rovers discovering their route to the group stages of European competition following the draws in Nyon.

Last Tuesday’s opening 2-1 aggregate victory over Víkingur in the Champions path secured this clash with Sparta but vitally guaranteed two additional ties, in both the Europa and Conference League, as well as soaring their prize-money to €1.7m.

Taking the positive outlook, a Champions League third round meeting against either Steaua Bucharest or Maccabi Tel Aviv awaits on August 8 should they conquer the Czechs over the two legs.

Robbie Keane managed the Israelis to the domestic title in May before quitting amid scrutiny over his failure to condemn the IDF over their military assault on Palestine.

If they are unable to get past Sparta, then a Europa League meeting with the loser of the Champions League clash between Slovenia side NK Celje or Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia is their fallback option. Both teams beat Irish opposition in recent years, Celje eliminating Dundalk in 2020 and Slovan slaying Rovers a year later.

A win there for Rovers would secure a berth in the Conference League group phase before they kick off the Europa playoff tie.

Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic also found out their potential third round opposition in the Conference League.

The prize for Damien Duff’s side if they upset FC Zurich over the next 10 days is a clash with either Vitoria of Portugal or Maltese outfit Floriana.

St Patrick’s Athletic, as FAI Cup winners, start their campaign this Thursday at home to Vaduz of Latvia. Awaiting them in the next round is whichever team emerges from the tie between Maccabi Haifa FC (Israel) and FC Sabah (Azerbaijan).