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Shamrock Rovers will host Shkupi at the Tallaght Stadium on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League third-round qualifying clash.
The Hoops secured a record 19th Premier Division title last season and secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. They picked up a 3-0 aggregate win over Hibernians in the first round before facing off against Ludogorets in the next round and losing 4-2 on aggregate.
Shamrock Rovers have now dropped to the Europa League qualifiers. Their only ever appearance in the group stages of the competition came back in the 2011-12 campaign and they will be looking to replicate those heights this season.
Like their hosts, Shkupi participated in the Champions League qualifiers. They were drawn against the Lincoln Red Imps in the first round, winning 3-2 on aggregate before facing Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb in the next round.They then found themselves on the wrong end of the same 3-2 scoreline.
The visitors have been regulars in the qualifiers for Europe but have struggled to advance further and will hope for better luck this season.
Shamrock Rovers vs Shkupi Head-to-Head
Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Shamrock Rovers and Shkupi. Both sides will be targeting strong results here to put themselves in a strong position ahead of the return leg next week.
Shamrock Rovers Form Guide (All Competition): W-D-D-L-D
Shkupi Form Guide (All Competitions): L-D-L-W-D
Shamrock Rovers vs Shkupi Team News
Shamrock Rovers
Roberto Lopes picked up an injury in a league clash last month and is a doubt for this one. Neil Farrugia and Jack Byrne are both injured and will not play here.
Injured: Neil Farrugia, Jack Byrne
Doubtful: Roberto Lopes
Suspended: None
Shkupi
Walid Hamidi and Mamadou Danfa came off injured in either leg of the Dinamo Zagreb clash and could both miss Thursday's game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Walid Hamidi, Mamadou Danfa
Suspended: None
Shamrock Rovers vs Shkupi Predicted XI
Shamrock Rovers Predicted XI (3-5-2): Alan Mannus; Sean Gannon, Sean Hoare, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn; Dylan Watts; Chris McCann, Gary O'Neill, Andy Lyons; Graham Burke, Aaron Greene
Shkupi Predicted XI (4-3-3): Kristijan Naumovski (GK); Vladica Brdarovski, Dzelil Abdula, Gagi Margvelashvili, Blerton Sheji; Queven da Silva Inacio, Senghor Faustin, Freddy Alvarez; Renaldo Cephas, Sunday Adetunji, Pepi Gorgiev
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Shamrock Rovers vs Shkupi Prediction
Shamrock Rovers are on a run of back-to-back victories and have lost just one of their last nine games across all competitions. They have been near impeccable on home turf in recent times, with their last home defeat coming back in August last year.
Shkupi, on the other hand, are winless in their last three games and have won just one of their last six across all competitions. They are winless in their last four away games and could lose this one.
Prediction: Shamrock Rovers 2-0 Shkupi
