Shels, Shamrock Rovers, and Pats find out European routes

Shelbourne host the Azerbaijani champions Qaraba in the Champions League qualifiers on Wednesday at Tolka Park before making the long trek to Baku a week later.

Shelbourne are guaranteed at least three more European ties as a result of beating Linfield.  Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Shelbourne’s potential route to the European group stages has been mapped out following Monday’s draws at Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Last week’s completion of a 2-1 aggregate victory over Linfield advanced the League of Ireland title holders to the second round of the Champions League.

A byproduct of progression is the guarantee of three extra European ties, ensuring two backdoors to the lucrative €3m group phase, were they to come up short against Qarabag.

Joey O’Brien’s side host the Azerbaijani champions in Wednesday’s first leg at Tolka Park before making the long trek to Baku a week later.

Group stage involvement has been a constant for Qarabag over the last 11 years but should they be rumbled by the Reds, the Irish kingpins will be rewarded by facing the winner of a tie between Macedonians Shkendija and FCBS, the club rebuilt from the ashes of 1986 champions Steaua Bucharest from Romania.

Were stature and resources to apply, and Shels slip out of the supreme competition, awaiting them in the Europa League will be the loser of a Champions League clash between Ludogorets (Bulgaria) or Rijeka (Croatia). Failure to advance there still leaves them a third life of a Conference League playoff.

Elsewhere, Shamrock Rovers have fared well by drawing either Ballkani of Kosovo or Malta’s Floriana in the third round. They must first dispose of St Joseph’s of Gibraltar, starting with Thursday’s away leg.

St Patrick’s Athletic will also be favourites to see off Nomme Kalju of Estonia, kicking off at Richmond Park on Thursday, and will meet in the third round the loser of the tie between Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Besiktas or Shakhtar Donetsk if they prevail.