Shamrock Rovers given Juventus incentive
Friday, 16 July 2010 21:32Shamrock Rovers will face Juventus in the third round of the Europa League qualifying if the Tallaght side see off Bnei Yehuda next week.
Rovers drew 1-1 with the Israeli club in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night and face a tough task to progress.
The third round draw has paired the Hoops or Beni with the Italian giant. Rovers would be at home first for the tie.
Speaking about the draw, Shamrock Rovers chairman Jonathan Roche said: 'It's a great draw for either us or Bnei Yehuda. We had a tough game here in Tallaght on Thursday night, and it is set to be an even more difficult task for us on Thursday in Tel Aviv.
'Getting through to the next Europa League qualifying round would be the biggest prize, but the prospect of playing a club like Juventus does make it even more mouth-watering.
'It is also a good draw in terms of logistics; it would be a lot easier to get to Italy than some of the other countries that were in the draw. But we're just taking it one step at a time.'
Sporting Fingal went down 3-2 to CS Maritimo in the first leg of their tie in Portugal, Finland's Honka Espoo or Welsh club Bangor City would visit Dublin should Liam Buckley's side advance.
Dundalk are likely to exit the competition after a 6-0 loss to Levski Sofia but in the event they complete a remarkable comeback in Oriel Park, Kalmar or Dacia await in round three.
