Linfield 'full of belief' for return leg with Shelbourne

BBC News

15-07-2025

Linfield manager David Healy says his side are "full of belief" that they can overturn their one-goal deficit from the first leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Shelbourne when the teams meet again at Windsor Park on Wednesday night.The game will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and on the BBC Sport website, with the game kicking off at 19:45 BST.The League of Ireland Premier Division champions take a 1-0 lead into the return fixture thanks to Mipo Odubeko's second-half strike at Tolka Park last week.Healy believes the Irish Premiership champions remain well in the tie however and has indicated that they will adopt a more offensive approach to the game in Belfast while not starting out in a "gung-ho" fashion."It's going to be a big challenge but we're full of belief coming into it. We're still slightly behind the eight-ball but one thing we won't do is be gung-ho from a very early stage."We'll look to put more pressure on of course but you don't want to waste 95 minutes of hard work to be out of the tie 15 or 20 minutes in this week."We need to be stronger in possession. We've got to make sure we have good options, better options than we did last week."The 95-times capped Northern Ireland international adds that previous experience in continental competition should stand his team in good stead and he expects "a much improved performance" from his side."The majority of the lads in the dressing room have been through the highs and lows in European competition."It's going to be hard but we have a strong record at Windsor Park and these players believe there is an opportunity. "We gave the ball away cheaply [in the first leg], weren't able to keep the ball to create the opportunities. I've no doubt we will be better in possession [in the second leg]."The south Belfast side will have Chris Shields returning from suspension for the second encounter with Shels. "Shelbourne will enjoy the big open pitch, they're a very good footballing side with brilliant players who can handle the ball in tight situations, they're very neat and tidy on the ball," continued Healy, who will take charge of the Blues for a 500th time."We didn't have enough possession last week to go and hurt Shelbourne. Hopefully this time, with another week's training under our belt and having had a look at them, better fitness among the players, and with a strong support behind us, we can."I'm just asking the players to go out and perform as I know they can do, more on the front foot. Momentum is important."
'Away games so different'
Shelbourne manager Joey O'Brien welcomes the fact that his side go into the second meeting with their opponents with a one-goal advantage but is expecting a totally different game."Away games in European competition are so different and the lads know that. Wednesday night is a completely different game."We have a small advantage. The lads have seen them on the pitch - their speed, their movement, how good they are, so you have that feel of who you are up against now."These are the kind of games you want to be involved in but ultimately it's about who goes into that next round."The winners of the tie will face Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the second qualifying round, with the losers dropping into the Conference League qualifying second round where they will play the defeated side between FK Zalgiris of Lithuania and Hamrun Spartans of Malta.
Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.