CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND FIRST LEG
Víkingur Reykjavík V Shamrock Rovers, Víkingsvöllur, 7.45pm
TV
The game will be broadcast live outside of Iceland on LOITV.ie for €10.
ONLINE
A live blog can be followed on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
Those travelling to Iceland can expect temperatures of around 11 degrees, not too dissimilar to your average Irish evening at present.
Don't forget to pack your sleep mask, as the sun doesn't go down in Reykjavík until around 11.40pm at this time of year, and rises again at around 3.20am.
Fear not, most hotels will be equipped with blackout curtains in order to counter this.
THE OPPOSITION
For the second season running, Shamrock Rovers have been paired with the champions of Iceland in the Champions League first qualifying round.
Last year, the Hoops lost 1-0 at home to Breidablik before a 3-1 aggregate loss was confirmed in Iceland.
This time around, it's Víkingur Reykjavík who stand in their way as they look to win just a second Champions League tie during their spell of League of Ireland dominance.
Víkingur - or Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur to give them their full name - have won two of the last three editions of the Icelandic top flight after ending a 30-year wait for the title back in 2021.
They have won seven league titles overall and are well-placed to win an eighth, as they sit top of the table midway through the 2024 regular season.
Víkingur's recent success has been overseen by former Bolton and Leicester forward Arnar Gunnlaugsson, who took the managerial reins in 2018.
Not only has Gunnlaugsson led the team to league title success on two occasions, he has also guided them to four consecutive Icelandic Cups, completing domestic doubles in both 2021 and 2023.
The club's European record under Gunnlaugsson is also impressive, as they have won five of their 10 continental matches under his guidance.
After coming through a one-legged semi-final and final in the Champions League preliminary round in 2022/23, Víkingur were narrowly beaten 6-5 on aggregate by Swedish giants Malmo in the first qualifying round.
This saw them drop into the Europa Conference League second qualifying round, where they would beat Welsh outfit The New Saints 2-0 on aggregate before going out 4-1 on aggregate to Polish side Lech Poznań in the next stage, despite winning the first leg 1-0.
Víkingur's Conference League adventure was cut short in 2023/24, as they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Latvian side Riga FC at the first hurdle, although they picked up a creditable 1-0 win in the second leg of that tie at home.
While they don't have the pedigree of Shamrock Rovers' two European group stage appearances, Víkingur have shown that they can punch above their weight under the astute management of former Iceland international Gunnlaugsson.
Rovers should also pay attention to the more recent form of their opponents, as they are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, a run that has seen them secure their place in a fifth consecutive Icelandic Cup final.
This is in stark contrast with the form of the Tallaght side, whose dreams of a fifth Premier Division title in-a-row look remote as they sit 13 points behind leaders Shelbourne.
THE PRIZE ON OFFER
The winners of this tie will be handed the plum draw of Czech giant Sparta Prague, who made it all the way to the round-of-16 in the Europa League last season before being eliminated by Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
If Shamrock Rovers manage to defy the odds and make it past the second round, they would be just two steps away from making it into the new-look Champions League group stage for 2024/25, although a lot has to go their way before they can even think about an achievement so historic.
The loser of the Víkingur v Rovers tie will drop down to the Conference League to play the defeated team in the FK Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) v KF Egnatia (Albania) tie.
TEAM NEWS
Shamrock Rovers' domestic form has been hindered by a number of injuries this season and while their problems have eased in recent weeks, they will still be without a number of star names in Iceland.
Rory Gaffney, Aaron McEneff, Graham Burke and Lee Grace are all out of the first leg, although manager Stephen Bradley has confirmed that Dan Cleary and Darragh Burns came through the recent win over Dundalk without any complaints.
HOOPS THOUGHTS
"They're a good team, there’s no doubt about that," said Bradley on his opponents ahead of the game.
"You can see they are a well-coached team. They are very good in the attacking third of the pitch, have some really good players, their movement is good in that attacking third. It has the makings of a really good tie.
"I do believe if we’re fully focussed and bring our identity to the game over the two legs, I believe we have enough to go through. It’s going to be an even tie, with two good teams going up against each other."
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