Bradley hits out at Hallgrímsson for discussing January camp plan with media before LOI managers

“Everyone involved in the league wants players in the league around the international set-up (but) any discussions like that should be had with the managers within the league before it's spoken in public, said the Rovers boss.

Stephen Bradley during a Shamrock Rovers media conference at Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavik. Pic: Haflidi Breidfjord/Sportsfile.

Two seasons ago when Shamrock Rovers last played Breidablik, it was a bruising encounter for the Hoops who were dumped out of the Champions League qualifiers by the Icelandic side.

Rovers are likely to start Thursday’s league phase Conference League game with only four of the players who lined out in Reykjavik in that 2-1 loss.

The home side have a more settled squad but while they have a new manager with Olafur Ingi Skulason now in charge, Rovers Head Coach Stephen Bradley says he expects Breidablik to play in a similar manner to recent seasons.

“What hasn't changed is the players that they have,” said Bradley speaking to the Irish media in the Icelandic national stadium on the eve of the game.

“The majority of them are still here from when we played them. They obviously beat us, so we know their qualities. I don't think a manager coming in so recently is going to have time to really change how they would like to play.

"They don't sit back. They're not a team that would play that way. They play on the front foot.”

Both Bradley and Dylan Watts, who also spoke pre-match, believe that Rovers are a different prospect in Europe from two seasons ago having qualified for back-to-back league phases of the Conference League since then.

This year on the road, they have won three of their six away games in Europe.

“We were probably a little bit naive at times when we first started out but I think we've gained great experience in this competition up against top teams,” said Watts.

“I think we've grown as a team massively since our first campaign.”

Bradley said: “We've made crazy decisions when we played them here and they deserved to win the game. We're definitely a much, much better team than what we were then.”

Both teams come into Thursday night’s games knowing they must record a win in this match and round out the league phase with another victory if they are to make February’s knockout phase.

It was expected that there would be a familiar Icelandic face in the stadium on Thursday but with stormy weather on the horizon, Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson won’t be travelling from Vestmannaeyjar island for the match.

Bradley may have had some words for Hallgrímsson as he isn’t happy with hearing in the media recently of a potential League of Ireland training camp in January – just when Rovers will be starting another shortened pre-season campaign.

“Everyone involved in the league wants players in the league around the international set-up (but) any discussions like that should be had with the managers within the league before it's spoken in public.

"For me, that's not right. It never will be.”