Thursday 8 August
Europa League third round qualifying first leg
Celje (Slovenia) v Shamrock Rovers, Stadion Z'dezele, 7.15pm
Conference League third round qualifying first leg
St Patrick's Athletic v FC Sabah (Azerbaijan), Tallaght Stadium, 7.45pm
Coverage
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Two competitions with one goal
The Dublin sides compete in different competitions tonight, with the same target of reaching a group phase.
Shamrock Rovers have the benefit of being on the 'Champions Route' in Europe so if they do not progress against Celje, they will drop to a Conference play-off.
The Saints have already come through one round and need to get passed two more, starting tonight with Sabah.
It's a huge ask. One step at a time, however.
Victory for the Hoops against their Slovenian opponents will guarantee they are into a group phase, with their next tie to determine if it is Europa or Conference.
Celje still represent tough opposition
While Shamrock Rovers are dropping down a competition, the draw could have been a lot easier.
Celje are the champions of Slovenia. They are known on these shores for beating Dundalk comfortably in 2020.
They were very much in contention against Slovan Bratislava after the first leg, even though the Slovakian spent a lot of the drawn first leg down to 10 men.
It was Celje who had an early red card in the return fixture and they conceded five times, knowing their fate was sealed.
The last time an Irish side came up against Slovenian opposition saw St Pat's defeat Mura FC.
That is a more obscure form line, however, and it's the strength of the team which gives great clues.
Many of their players have international experience, even if it is minimal.
Aljosa Matko is the main goal threat, scoring 18 times last year.
Lithuanian internatioanl Armandas Kučys will also be someone to keep an eyeo on up front
Goalkeeper Lovro Štubljar looks set to have a big future, turning 21 tomorrow and will start in goals. He is an Under-21 international with Slovenia.
Croatian midfielder Luka Bobičanec has been one of the top players in the Slovenian league in the last eight years.
Rolando Aarons is a former Newcastle United player and played at several English clubs.
They have a nice mix in their squad which helped them win a second league tile
Hoops come in with a win behind them
Graham Burke's return has been a nice lift for Shamrock Rovers.
The former Preston North End striker bagged a winner in Waterford to provide a much-needed victory in the league.
With their title rivals drawing on Monday night, it gives the Hoops a chance to be in the race.
One blow is the absence of Johnny Kenny. He will miss a further two weeks due to injury.
Sean Hoare does return after his knock in Prague.
Bradley positive despite threat of Celje
Stephen Bradley has said there will be no surprise for his side.
"We're in a good place. We know we’re going into a difficult game; they all are at this level and at this stage. We know we’re going over to play a good team but the Sparta Prague experience in terms of playing them will only help us and I’m sure we’ll only be better for that experience.
"We’ll use what we learned in those two games, take what we did well and improve upon what we didn’t do so well. We’ll take all that into Thursday night and do everything we can to win the game."
Sabah await the Saints
Sabah FC were not expected to reach this stage after drawing Maccabi Haifi of Israel.
But they caused a huge upset in the away leg, which was played in a neutral venue, claiming a 3-0 success.
In a remarkable second leg Haifa won 6-3 after extra-time, only for Sabah to come from behind when up against it in a penalty shootout.
So conceding and scoring six goals over the tie certainly shows a strength and weakness in the side.
The club is just seven years old so there is little to gauge in terms of history.
Sabah fielded 10 nationalties in the starting line-up for the second leg with Haifa, with their bench made up of nearly all Azerbaijani players.
They were runners-up in the Azerbaijani league last season and are in Europe for a just a second time.
They beat Latvia outfit RFS and were knocked out on penalties by Partizan Belgrade, so their early European adventures have been of a very high level.
Sabah began their league campaign with a 2-2 draw with Shamahki, making eight changes from the Haifa clash, so their eyes are firmly on Europe.
Europe ignites the Saints
Having shown little in the way of results under Kenny, St Pat's are now on a bit of a roll thanks to their passage through against Vaduz and a 3-2 success over Sligo Rovers last Sunday.
The league win may have been in controversial circumstances with a contentious penalty, yet that mattered little to the Saints.
Aidan Keena marked his first appearance with a goal. A decision will need to be taken on whether Kenny sticks with Keena or reinstates Mason Melia who was rested for the league encounter.
One bone of contention is a hectic schedule for the Inchicore outfit.
They must travel to Galway on Sunday in order to keep up league commitments before their trip to Azerbaijan.
Kenny voiced his frustration over the issue in recent days.
Tonight's game will be played in Tallaght Stadium as Richmond Park does not have the required seated capacity for a third round tie.
While it is unfortunate to not be in their home venue, Pat's have had some good performances in Tallaght when they've had to play there.
They will also be backed by a crowd of over 6,000.
Kenny hoping attackers can pack a punch
Stephen Kenny is without Cian Leavy who has a back injury, but bar that he has a full-strength squad that can breateh life into their campaign with what would be a massive vicory over two legs.
"Everything is in our hands at this stage but we're not getting ahead of ourselves," he said.
"We know Sabah, just because they’re not one of the higher profile teams… we’ve seen their strengths.
"They’ve a real cutting edge in the team so we’ll have to be able to put our bodies on the line and defend when we need to. But we’re developing carrying an attacking threat and obviously you see the players in recent weeks all scoring good goals - the wingers Jake Mulraney and Zack Elbouzedi getting really exceptional goals and Aidan Keena coming in.
"There's a play-off place up for grabs. They’re rare occasions. That’s the prize. We must be determined to try and get that."
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