Shamrock Rovers face Ararat-Armenia rescue mission without John McGovern

A groin injury will keep McGovern out of the second leg clash while Victor Ozhianvuna also misses out through injury

Shamrock Rovers' Graham Burke and Lee Grace train at the club's Roadstone facility ahead of their Champions League second leg qualifier against Ararat-Armenia. Pic: ©INPHO/Will Morgan

Armenia has been the bane of Irish football since 2022 and Shamrock Rovers will become their latest victims unless a Champions League turnaround is engineered.

Ararat bring a two-goal lead into Tuesday night’s second leg at Tallaght (8pm) and, although Hoops overcame that deficit to sweep past Maltese side Floriana in the first round, this is an altogether harder task.

The visitors possess an array of nationalities in their team, including four who’ve been part of an Armenia senior squad with a relatively recent history of back-to-back competitive victories over Ireland in Yerevan.

Brazilian journeyman Sandro Lima and Guinean Zidane Banjaqui bagged their second half goals in last week’s encounter that dismayed Rovers manager Stephen Bradley in its result but not complexion.

“We’re disappointed in how we lost because we were in control of the game,” he observed.

“Large parts of the game were good by us but we know we can be better.

“The positive thing is it's half time and we have a second go at it at home.

“This is a difficult proposition – as Ararat have a bigger threat than Floriana – yet I genuinely believe that we can go out, win the game and progress to the next round.” 

Rovers must confront their mission without star striker John McGovern. The groin injury he sustained when setting up the final goal of the 4-1 FAI Cup victory over Cork City 10 days ago hasn’t sufficiently healed to be ready. Arsenal-bound midfielder Victor Ozhianvuna also missed out through injury.

That triumph over Floriana, through the champions’ path, guaranteed the Irish title-holders three additional ties within Uefa’s competition structure.

They already know that one of Egnatia (Albania) or Celje (Slovenia) await them in the next stage of that journey, only unaware whether it’s in the Champions League or Europa League. Those teams drew 3-3 in their first leg tie, with the loser dropping into the Europa to face the loser of the Rovers clash.

Prize-money of €1.7m is already grossed from their run to date but would mushroom in the case they repeat their comeback heroics a fortnight on from becoming the first League of Ireland club to do so in European competition.

Whichever of the two competitions they’re in next, Will Fitzgerald could be a new addition to their squad. Sligo Rovers have accepted a bid for their captain believed to be €75,000 – a record upfront sum paid by the Hoops within the domestic market.

Other suitors like Shelbourne, where Fitzgerald’s former manager John Russell recently moved to, are keen but his most likely destination is the champions. Sligo would lose the 27-year-old for free in November by not doing business in the window which closes this week.