Prediction: Hibernians vs Shamrock Rovers

Prediction: Shamrock win

Best Odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: 888sport

While domestic football is largely still out of action across Europe, the start of July means we’re heading for the qualifiers of several different competitions – including the UEFA Champions League. The competition is still in the incredibly early stages but teams will still back themselves to cause a few surprises, including Hibernians and Shamrock Rovers.

Hibernians

As the reigning Maltese champions, Hibernians will hope to represent their nation in the best way possible in this year’s competition. Unfortunately they aren’t particularly known for blowing teams away but at the very least, it’ll be an open game.

Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers were always going to be favoured to progress here and after making a statement in the first leg, they’ll just want to avoid any major complications. With so many fans backing them to make real progress in the next couple of years, we’d think a bit of a run isn’t out of the question.

Factors to Consider

• Shamrock won the first leg 3-0 when the pair met in Dublin on July 5.
• Hibernians have won one, drawn one and lost four of their last six games.
• Shamrock have won five and lost one of their last six games.
• Hibernians have scored eight goals and conceded 12 in their last six games.
• Shamrock have scored nine goals and conceded two in their last six games.

Conclusion

We can see Hibernians getting a few good shots off but in reality, their focus needs to be on ensuring things don’t get too embarrassing on the other end – likely leading us down the path of a fairly dull second leg encounter. We’re going to go for a 1-0 Rovers win, setting them up nicely for the next round without needing to stretch their legs too much.

Prediction: Shamrock win

Best Odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: 888sport