Shamrock Rovers vs Slovan Bratislava
UEFA Champions League, KO: 20:00 Jul 13, 2021, Tallaght Stadium
Slovan Bratislava are looking to complete the double over Shamrock Rovers when they travel to Tallaght Stadium for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League second round qualifier. The Slovakians were comfortable in the first leg and should once again have the upper hand on Tuesday.
Shamrock Rovers have a two-goal deficit to overturn after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg. They failed to build on their bright start and were second best to the Slovakians.
Although they are currently top of the Irish Premier Division, Shamrock Rovers have not been at their best in recent weeks. They head into Tuesday’s clash with just one win from their last four matches across all competitions.
Stephen Bradley's men are playing in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time since 2012. Their record in the competition is poor having claimed just one win in seven matches.
Slovan Bratislava were in fine form in the first leg as they ran out 2-0 winners at home. They were comfortable throughout the encounter and secured the victory thanks to a brace from Rafael Ratao.
Slovan Bratislava have fallen at the qualifying stage in their last two appearances in the Champions League and will be hoping to go one better this time around. The victory over Shamrock Rovers means they are unbeaten in their last four matches.
One headache for manager Vladimir Weiss is his team’s defending as they often give away chances to the opposition. Their defensive solidity is likely to be tested in Ireland where Shamrock Rovers always tend to score.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Slovan Bratislava as favourites with MansionBet offering 6/5 for an away win. A victory for Shamrock Rovers is valued at 13/5 by Vbet while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by Unibet.
Given their form in recent weeks, I am tempted to back Slovan Bratislava to claim the win here.
Head to head
Las week’s first leg was the first ever meeting between Shamrock Rovers and Slovan Bratislava.
Players to watch
Shamrock Rovers will be looking to striker Roy Gaffney to provide the spark in attack having scored six goals this season. With Aaron Greene also featuring in attack, the Irish team will be hoping to score over 1.5 goals at 9/4 with Unibet.
Brazilian striker Rafael Ratao could be worth keeping an eye on for Slovan Bratislava following his brace last time out. He is likely to have support from Ezekiel Henty and both men can ensure the Slovakians score over 1.5 goals at 13/10 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Shamrock Rovers produced over 3.5 goals in their last home fixture and a similar outcome is valued at 3/1 by Unibet. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 23/10 with betfair while William Hill is offering odds of 10/11 on both teams to score.
Slovan Bratislava could be backed to score the first goal at 5/6 with MansionBet while they are also likely to score in both halves at 11/4 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between Shamrock Rovers and Slovan Bratislava will be played on Jul 13, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Shamrock Rovers vs Slovan Bratislava prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
