Shels and Linfield rematch possible after Conference League draw

REMATCH: League of Ireland champions Shelbourne could face another All-Island derby against Linfield for a place in the Conference League group stages. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Shelbourne could face another All-Island derby against Linfield for a place in the Conference League group stages.

Both teams are involved in European action this week – Shels travelling to Croatian champions Rijeka on Wednesday in the Europa and Linfield in Faroe Islands to take on Vikingur Gøta in the Conference.

Since Shels last month knocked Linfield out of the Champions League first round, 2-1 on aggregate, they lost 4-0 on aggregate against Qarabag in that competition.

Linfield slipped into the Conference League, where they overcame Lithuanian champions Zalgiris 2-0 at Windsor Park last Thursday.

Another victory over the Faroese will put them within 180 minutes of reaching the league phase for the first time.

Shels will also guarantee their first-ever group phase involvement should they emerge victorious in the tie against Rijeka – the second leg of which will be staged at Tolka Park on Tuesday week, August 12. 

They would take on either Greek side PAOK or Austrian side Wolsfberger armed with the parachute of a spot in the Conference League phase.

If they don’t prevail against the Croatians, the fallback of a Conference League playoff represents their final chance to enter the 36-team league phase.

The fillip of another six games between October and December is gilded by boosting their prize-pot beyond the €3m mark, the same figure Shels suffered in trading losses over the past three years.

A second Irish derby in the competition is possible too.

Shamrock Rovers face a tough assignment against Ballkani, starting in Kosovo this Thursday, but if the league leaders progress, blocking their path to a second league phase on the trot with the winner of the tie between Larne – whom they beat 4-1 away last year - or Portuguese outfit Santa Clara.

St Patrick’s Athletic reached the playoff stage last year but have a difficult task up against Süper Lig club Beşiktaş.

The Turks, managed by ex-Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær, are in Dublin on Thursday, the first leg moved to Tallaght Stadium due to restrictions at Richmond Park.

Were Stephen Kenny’s side to dump Beşiktaş out, their playoff opponents will be either FC Lausanne-Sport from Switzerland or FC Astana of Kazakhstan.

Those ties, drawn today at Uefa headquarters in Nyon, are to be contested on August 21 and 28.