Shamrock Rovers have work to do if they're to continue their Conference League journey this year, but Richie Towell and David McMillan both expect Stephen Bradley's men to turn things around against Ballkani tonight (8pm).
The Hoops fell to a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Kosovo last week, Sunday Adetunji's second-half effort proving the difference.
Former Shamrock Rovers man Towell knows Adetunji well; he played for FC Shkupi against the Dublin outfit in 2022, when they met in the third round of the Europa League qualifiers. Rovers prevailed 5-2 on aggregate back then and Towell fully expects them to do the business at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday to set up a Conference League play-off against either Larne or Portuguese side Santa Clara.
"I think they'll definitely get through," Towell said on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast. "A European night up in Tallaght, it hits a little bit different.
"I've obviously been lucky enough to be a part of a lot of them. I think the crucial thing for Shamrock Rovers going into the game against Ballkani is... I think they'll have the lion's share of possession, Ballkani will sit back a little bit and try and protect that lead, the thing is they have the boy Sunday Adetunji up front.
"We played against him when he played for Shkupi, a really good player. You seen him in the first leg, he scored and probably should have had another one or two goals. His link-up play is very good.
"He's very similar to Tammy Abraham (tormentor of St Pat's last Thursday). He's that big, tall, gangly, physical presence, he can run in behind, he has a good touch, so he'll be a real target man for Ballkani."
McMillan didn't pay too much heed to Shamrock Rovers' goalless draw against Galway United on Sunday. Bradley's charges remain in control at the top of the league, with little evidence to suggest the chasing pack are capable of putting them under genuine pressure.
"It was the sort of league performance you'd expect mid-European tie," said the ex-Dundalk striker.
"You can probably rest a few players because you have such a good cushion, a 10-point cushion to Bohemians behind them.
"They've put themselves in an excellent position to be able to target the European games in particular, go out with your strongest teams, rest players during the weekend games in the league."
McMillan also expects the Hoops to get through, adding: "They never really laid a glove on Ballkani (in the first leg) but on the flip side... it felt like a 1-0 loss was not too bad a result.
"I'm sure they would have been happy to come away with a nil-nil, I'm sure that was the realistic target of the game, but even as it got to the latter stages of that game you just felt they were the fitter side, they were the stronger side. You just had a feeling there was more to come from Rovers and I think that's what they'll expect to show this week in Tallaght.
"Ballkani will be coming thinking, 'we have this lead, can we sit back, can we hold on to it?' but I'd expect Rovers to show another level in Tallaght and probably get through this tie. Their form in Tallaght has been excellent, you would still fancy them to get the job done."
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