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The Irish Sun
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
What TV channel is Shelbourne vs Qarabag on? Stream, tickets, time and odds for Champions League clash
SHELBOURNE take on Qarabağ FK in the second round of Champions League qualifiers in Tolka Park tonight. A 2 Shelbourne's first Champions League campaign in 20 years has got off to a good start 2 Qarabag FK have qualified for a European group/league stage every year since 2014 Linfield dropped down to the Conference League second qualifying round after the loss where they will face Zalgiris Vilnius. Qarabağ FK were put straight into the second round of qualifiers due to Azerbaijan's superior coefficient. Here is everything you need to know before watching the game: Read more on League of Ireland WHAT TIME IS KICK-OFF? The crunch fixture kicks-off at 7:45pm in Drumcondra. WHAT TV CHANNEL IS SHELS VS QARABAG ON? The Champions League clash The coverage starts at 7:15pm and post match analysis will go on until 10:15pm. ARE TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE? Tickets initially sold out on the day of their general sale release, but a very limited amount of tickets were put on sale yesterday. Most read in Football The Azerbaijan champions failed to sell out their away allocation and the excess tickets were sold to home fans. These tickets have since sold out also. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? Qarabağ FK are heavy favourites going into the clash despite being out of season. Bookmakers have them set at 13/20 to win the first leg. Roma fans mob and serenade Ireland star Evan Ferguson at airport ahead of loan move from Brighton Shelbourne are 9/2 to win and a draw is 3/1, considering the Auld Reds are 11 home games unbeaten in European competitions. A record stretching over 21 years, including draws to Lille and Deportivo de La Coruña. Shelbourne are 6/1 to qualify for the next round whereas the Azerbaijani side are 1/10. WHAT HAS BEEN SAID IN THE BUILD-UP? Qarabağ FK boss Gurban Gurbanov has been complimentary of Shelbourne, having watched them play in the last round of the Champions League qualifiers. The Azeri manager said: "We are going to face a good side. I can only say good words about this team because I have been here and I watched the game against Linfield in the stadium. 'They have a unique style of play, they are very disciplined and physically very prepared. Shelbourne The Reds were trying to get international clearance for Speel in time for him to be available for selection against the Azerbaijani champions on Wednesday, although Healy will start at Tolka Park. Shels also The North Dublin side have been long time admirers of the youth star who even featured on the bench for Mikel Arteta's side in a Champions League game.
RTÉ News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Shels face steep challenge with luxury of safety net
It's a big ask for Shelbourne tonight (7.45pm) in their European journey, but they square up to Qarabag with the comfort of a lucrative safety net beneath them. The Reds are in bonus territory thanks to their deserved 2-1 aggregate victory over Linfield in the Champions League first-round qualifier last week, a success that earned the club €750k. They'll make a minimum of €1.7m overall out of Europe this year. The winners of this tie will face either Romanian side FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest) or KF Shkendija of Macedonia in the third round. If Shels were to lose to Qarabag, they'd fall into the Europa League third qualifying round to face the losers of Croatian outfit HNK Rijeka and Ludogorets 1945 from Bulgaria. Not easy, but even that wouldn't be the last-chance saloon because they'd still have the Conference League qualifiers to drop down to should they lose again. It's a great situation to be in, but for now the focus is on putting it up to seasoned European performers. Qarabag come to the capital expecting to progress in relatively straightforward fashion. They made it to the Europa League league stage last year, and though they finished bottom of the 36-team group with just one win from eight games, their pedigree at that level is more than decent. They've reached the group/league stages of the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League every season since 2014/15. Boss Gurban Gurbanov was at Tolka Park to watch Joey O'Brien's men beat Linfield 1-0 so they won't be caught off guard here. Gurbanov was in charge when Qarabag beat Dundalk 4-1 on aggregate in the second round of Champions League qualifying back in 2019. He knows this terrain pretty well. "They have a unique style of play," he said yesterday. "They play with desire, they have their own system and their counter-attacks are very dangerous." Qarabag are in pre-season, which nourishes hopes the underdogs might catch them cold. But over two legs their significantly greater resources should tell. At least Shelbourne will be pretty fresh on their own patch. O'Brien was able to make 11 changes for Sunday's FAI Cup clash at non-league Fairview Rangers in Limerick. He got minutes into the legs of Sam Bone, Sean Boyd, Dan Kelly and John Martin who helped Shels ease to a straightforward 4-0 win as other senior men put the feet up, but they're not without injury headaches for this Tolka Park showdown. First-choice keeper Conor Kearns is definitely out after limping off with a hamstring strain against Linfield in Belfast last week. That means Lorcan Healy will start tonight, with new Dutch arrival Wessel Speel - announced on Tuesday - coming in on loan from Minnesota United to offer further back-up. Jack Henry-Francis will not be involved however; he misses out on the matchday squad after arriving from Arsenal earlier this week as he continues to build up his fitness levels. In better news skipper Mark Coyle has recovered from a knee issue and is expected to take his place in the engine room. Back in 2004, when O'Brien was breaking through as a young player at Bolton Wanderers, the Reds pulled off a famous 4-3 aggregate victory over Hajduk Split to reach the Champions League third qualifying round. Dave Rogers' famous screamer sent them through to face Deportivo La Coruna, who were held scoreless in Dublin before eventually wearing down Pat Fenlon's men in Spain, where they won 3-0. They were heady times, the sort of days many Shels fans feared they'd never experience again. And while making the Champions League group stages is, realistically, an impossible dream for Shels right now, they'll certainly be hoping to emulate Shamrock Rovers' run in last season's Conference League. Not that O'Brien sees it quite like that. Joey O'Brien's Shelbourne, who were drawn against St Patrick's Athletic in the third round of the FAI Cup earlier today, are preparing to host Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday night — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 22, 2025 "It's amazing I suppose for finances and stuff like that, but from our point of view, and from the lads' point of view, it's a great opportunity again to win a Champions League game," he said. "To have that on your CV as a player, to go into the next round and play against the opposition we're playing only comes about because we won the first game (against Linfield). "So it's another great opportunity for the lads, and I suppose by winning that last leg, yeah, it gives us the possibility to open up other doors." Tolka will be red-hot for this one. Due to UEFA stadium requirements, it'll be the final time this year that Shels play a European match at the old ground; they'll decamp to Tallaght or Aviva Stadium going forward. Expect blood and thunder, energy and endeavour.
The Irish Sun
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne no pushovers as Qarabag boss Gurban Gurbanov braced for Champions League battle at Tolka Park
GURBAN GURBANOV has warned his Qarabag players that Shelbourne are no mugs. The Advertisement 2 Qarabag's head coach Gurban Gurbanov warned his team to be ready for a battle against Shelbourne 2 The Qarabag boss watched Joey O'Brien's side defeat Linfield last week He travelled in person to watch them in action against Linfield at Tolka Park with two scouts dispatched to the second leg at Windsor Park. And, although Qarabag breezed past Gurbanov said: 'We are going to face a good side. I can only say good words about this team because I have been here and I watched the game against Linfield in the stadium. 'They have a unique style of play, they are very disciplined and physically very prepared. Advertisement read more on football 'They play with desire, they have their own system and their counter-attacks are very dangerous. Also their set-pieces, they do their job well. We will try to make few fouls and few mistakes. 'They have a little advantage because their domestic season is going on and they've already played two games in Champions League qualification. They are in good shape. 'We've tried to analyse our opponents and we will try to display a good performance. 'They have very good supporters, they support them continuously. Maybe the capacity of the stadium is small but it feels like 10,000 people are supporting their team. I hope it will be a good atmosphere.' Advertisement Most read in Champions League Against Vinny Perth's side they drew the away leg before winning 3-0 in the return. Asked if he would settle for a repeat, the former national team boss said: 'We might but we can lose, like 1-0 or 2-1. In any case we will prepare well for the second match. Mikel Arteta could not be happier with new Arsenal signing Martin Zubimendi 'We are playing a team with big desire, a physical team. Technically and physically, they are at a high level and they're going to play in their stadium for their supporters. "They will do everything for victory. It's not easy to play in these conditions. They're a proud team with a lot of quality. We could see any result.' Advertisement
The Irish Sun
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne face potential clash with European regulars Qarabag in Champions League second round
SHELBOURNE will face a daunting visit to Azeri champions Qarabag in the Champions League if they beat Linfield. Advertisement 2 Shelbourne could face Qarabag if they get past Linfield in the Champions League 2 Shelbourne manager Damien Duff and his side get their Euro campaign underway in July The first leg would be at home on July 22 or 23, with the away leg the following week. The Baku-based outfit are one of the toughest potential opponents are are group stage regulars having reached that stage of one of Last season, they reached the Europa League groups by virtue of qualifying for the And they previous experience against Irish opposition beating Dundalk 4-1 on aggregate in the Champions League in 2019. Advertisement read more on football Manager Gurban Gurbanov has been in charge for 18 years and his squad also provides the backbone of the Azerbaijan national team - five that featured against Hungary last week were Qarabag players. Shelbourne know that victory over Linfield will also guarantee them the 'champions path' which means they are guaranteed three more ties even if they lose. That route guarantees €1.75 million in prize money and it can rise to €3.87 million if they win one tie, as it guarantees Conference League group stages at least. But defeat to Linfield would see Shelbourne parachuted into the Conference League second round and needing to win three consecutive ties to make the group stages. Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog If the Reds are in the Conference League, they will have a tie with Lithuanians Zalgiris or Maltese outfit Hamrun Spartans with the first leg due to be away on July 24 and home on July 31. But the pick of the Conference League ties for Irish clubs is the potential meeting between Shamrock Rovers and Belfast outfit Cliftonville. Harry Kane enjoys makeshift ice bath in WHEELIE BIN after 10-0 Bayern Munich rout in Club World Cup opener The Hoops enter the competition at the second round phase by virtue of their high ranking which saw them given a first round bye following Drogheda United's expulsion. But they will now watch the first round closely as they face the winners of Cliftonville or Gibraltar outfit St Joesph's - who Shelbourne beat last year. Advertisement St Patrick's Athletic also learnt they will face Kalju of Estonia or Partizani of Albania if they beat Hegelmann of Lithuania in the first round of the Conference League with the first leg at home. But the three Dublin clubs could potentially see ties and dates move as UEFA do not allow clubs to play on the same day in the same city. That is potentially a problem for Rovers and Shels, but also because of a potential clash between Cliftonville and Linfield as well.
