League of Ireland in Europe 2016

Paz-CCFC

Four LoI teams will be in Europe this year. Dundalk will be in the Champions League, while Cork City, St Patrick's Athletic and Shamrock Rovers will be in the Europa League. It's the same as last season, minus UCD.

Dundalk will enter the 2nd round of the CL. City, Pats and Rovers will enter the 1st round of the EL. The draw for the first two rounds of both competitions will tomorrow, the 20th.

The opening round of the EL will take place on the 30th of June and 7th of July (both Thursdays). The second round, if any LoI team gets there, will be on the 14th and the 21st. These dates could be subject to change. Last year, Rovers played on the Tuesday to avoid having two UEFA matches in the same city on the same night. In the unlikely event that Ireland make the quarter-finals of the Euros, it could clash with the first leg of the Europa League. One of the semi-finals will clash with the second leg (also the second leg of the CL first round, but that won't affect Dundalk).

Dundalk's CL ties will be on the 12th/13th and 19th/20nd of July. The 3rd round for both competitions take place the week after, with the draws being made on the 17th, in between the two legs of the 2nd round.

Shamrock Rovers and St Pats will be the only seeded sides. That gives them an excellent chance to go through. Cork City and Dundalk will be unseeded. They could face teams like Midjylland/Maccabi Tel Aviv or lower seeded teams from Luxembourg/the Faroe Islands. Dundalk could face the likes of Celtic, BATE, Apoel. Not many beatable seeded teams this time around. Their best chance would probably be against FH from Iceland. A win for them would be massive, as a loss in the 3rd round would put them into the EL play-off. This is the route Rovers took to the EL group stages in 2011.

I'd imagine that our prospects in Europe this year will be about the same as last time. Most likely two teams to go through. Pats and Rovers as seeded sides should be qualifying. It's very important for themselves to put in a good showing this season. Next time around, they'll both lose coefficients from years they did well (Rovers' Europa League group stage campaign). That will probably render them unseeded in the future.

City have a very small chance of going through. There are a handful of sides that are beatable. Most would be a level above us. Some at the top are streets ahead. The best draw in terms of travel and chances of winning is probably Linfield.

Can't see Dundalk getting through, but who knows. They shocked many with the narrow away loss to BATE last time. If they get an easier draw, they might get through a round and a have a shot at the EL group stages.

Cork City released ticket info for the first round. €20 for adults, €15 juveniles, €10 schoolchildren/OAPS. If bought before the draw on the 20th, they're €15, €10 and €5. (same as league matches). Members and ST holders have until the day after the draw to get them at discounted prices. Shamrock Rovers also have their tickets on sale. Not sure about the other teams.

pablomakaveli

We shot ourselves in the foot massively last year in Iceland. Hopefully it'll be better this time around though who we draw will determine that as well.

Hammer Archer

It's depressing that I'll most likely never experience a European trip again.

kksaints

Bar an easy draw such as a Welsh or Nordie team we'll go out in the first round. Team has been poor so far this season and you really need a strong midfield in Europe which is where we are lacking badly so far.

trashcan

kksaints wrote: »

Bar an easy draw such as a Welsh or Nordie team we'll go out in the first round. Team has been poor so far this season and you really need a strong midfield in Europe which is where we are lacking badly so far.

Agree. I fear for us if we get a half decent team. Could see a spanking.

CHealy

City threw over 200k down the gutter last season with the "tactics" while 1 nil up away to 10 man KR, I really hope Caulfield and his team have learned from that awful experience because he said it himself, Europe and the amount of rounds you get through play a huge part in the following seasons budget.

awec

Group 2

Seeded: 1 IFK Göteborg (SWE), 2 HJK Helsinki (FIN), 3 KR Reykjavík (ISL), 4 Saint Patrick's (IRL), 5 Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Unseeded: 6 Jeunesse Esch (LUX), 7 HB Tórshavn (FRO), 8 Glenavon (NIR), 9 Atlantas (LTU), 10 Llandudno (WAL)


St Pats can get one of the unseeded teams. Would like to get St Pats as a Glenavon fan.

Oat23

Great draw for Dundalk. They could have got one of the following: Celtic (SCO), BATE Borisov (BLR), FC København (DEN), Rosenborg (NOR), Crvena zvezda (SRB), FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL)

They got the Icelandic side - FH Hafnarfjördur

awec

Oat23 wrote: »

Great draw for Dundalk. They could have got one of the following: Celtic (SCO), BATE Borisov (BLR), FC København (DEN), Rosenborg (NOR), Crvena zvezda (SRB), FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL)

They got the Icelandic side - FH Hafnarfjördur

Glenavon played them two years ago in the Europa League, they won 6-2 on aggregate but the scoreline was flattering. Away we lost 3 nil, but they scored all three goals in the last 8 minutes when we ran out of steam.

Winnable for Dundalk unless they've got a lot better.

CHealy

Icelandic football has improved no end the last 5 or 6 years, I was over there last year for the City game and the facilities some of these teams have put Ireland to shame. Its the best possible outcome for Dundalk but they have to be very wary, FH still favourites I would think.

awec

St Pats got Jeunesse Esch (LUX)

awec

Cork City got Linfield!

Oat23

Shams are off to Finland too. They got RoPs in the 1QR.

kksaints

awec wrote: »

St Pats got Jeunesse Esch (LUX)

Happy with that. Not too tough or not that bad a trip. Cork got Linfield.

Oymyakon

RoPS is the worst to get to for Rovers fans

Francie Barrett

Cork City got a nice draw considering they were unseeded, would expect them to beat Linfield. Only real worry is the team bus is likely to get a few bricks through the window from Linfield fans. :pac:

Dundalk made short work out of Jeunesse previously, you'd expect Pat's to repeat that.

Reckon both Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers won't make it.

CHealy

Im the happiest man in Ireland at the moment, European trip 4 hours up the road.

dfx-

Oymyakon wrote: »

RoPS is the worst to get to for Rovers fans

having been to Oulu before..it's an expensive place to get to, probably have to go through Helsinki...

kooga

CHealy wrote: »

Im the happiest man in Ireland at the moment, European trip 4 hours up the road.

will city be home or away in the first leg

LuckyLloyd

Hopefully everyone can win one. Progress through a tie and it becomes bonus territory from there.

Hammer Archer

Irish teams seem to like drawing Luxembourg teams.
Best of luck to each team.

CHealy

kooga wrote: »

will city be home or away in the first leg

Home in the second leg, but all that to be confirmed by 4pm today.

pablomakaveli

Good draws all around really. Great for draw us. Fingers crossed all the Irish sides progress to the next round.

Darkglasses

I stayed in Hafnarfjordur last year, Hotel Hafnarfjordur is a good spot. Drink costs a bomb. Food can be a bit awkward, traffic between Hafnarfjordur and Reykjavik at rush hour is horrific. If I can help with travel questions feel free to get in touch!

brianregan09

All 4 really winnable games for the Irish Sides lets hope they can all get through

trashcan

As good a draw as Pats could have hoped for. With the way we are playing this year though I'm not taking anything for granted.

monkey9

kksaints wrote: »

Happy with that. Not too tough or not that bad a trip. Cork got Linfield.

Couldn't have asked for a better draw really. I feared a real thrashing against some of the teams we could have got, but at least this should be competitive.

kksaints

trashcan wrote: »

As good a draw as Pats could have hoped for. With the way we are playing this year though I'm not taking anything for granted.

Same here although its a good draw better than some of the alternatives. Certainly if we manage to win we wont be going past the second round. Dinamo Minsk would be a good side and got to the group stages last year after beating Red Bull Salzburg.

Decent draw for Cork. They should be better than Linfield and have an advantage in that Linfield are out of season. Second round tie is tougher but not completely unthinkable that Cork could beat that Swedish team. Shams have the tougher first round tie but the possibly the easiest second round tie. Lokomotiv Zagreb wouldn't be one of the stronger Croatian teams. The Finnish team could be awkward though, Finnish teams would be reasonably strong at this stage of the competition.

cms88

would think all 4 teams should progress with thoses draws

Paz-CCFC

The Women's Champions League draw was made this afternoon. Irish champions Wexford Youths have been drawn in the following group:

Group 7: BIIK-Kazygurt (KAZ), Gintra Universitetas (LTU), Wexford Youths (IRL)*, Criuleni (MDA)


They're the hosts for this qualifying group, so matches will be played in Ferrycarrig Park and the RSC. It's a single round robin group. I'd imagine all of Wexford's matches will be played in Ferrycarrig, with the RSC hosting the other final match of the group which will kick off at the same time. The group winners go through to the next round.


Admittedly, I haven't really much of an idea about those other teams. But I'd imagine Wexford have a decent chance of qualifying, given they've avoided some of the traditionally stronger (at least in men's football) nations. Standard Liège, Porto, Twente etc. Especially with them having home advantage and no travel fatigue. Hopefully they can do it. It was brilliant when Raheny got through to the last 32 a couple of years ago.

Full draw is here.

Pat D. Almighty

Mon the Saints!!!

kksaints

First leg of our tie tonight in Richmond Park. Hopefully rather than confident we are favourites but our performance in the league have been so poor that if we play like that over the two legs we will be in trouble. Still if Fagan is fit to start and we play to our best we'll win. COYS!

Omackeral

dan1895

St Pats' players must be at least 9 feet tall

Darkglasses

Any streams or audio commentary of the match?

namloc1980

1-0 to Pats. Important for the League to get a few wins this year and bump up the coefficient.

Mushy

Good start anyway, fair play Pats.

Ardent

Was at the game. First time to Richmond Park. Quality was poor from both sides. St Pat's should have tried harder for a second- that team were for the taking.

clickhere

Ardent wrote: »

Was at the game. First time to Richmond Park. Quality was poor from both sides. St Pat's should have tried harder for a second- that team were for the taking.

Agree totally with your analysis. Every thing about the game was so pedestrian, we're just very poor at the moment. The players just don't seem interested in winning another 200k by getting into the next round. We gave Cork Bolger and Brown and got them Dennehy clowns in return. A handy draw for who ever gets the winner of this tie.

NufcNavan

The decent Pats teams from years past would have dicked them 3 or 4 nil. Woeful game of football.

trashcan

NufcNavan wrote: »

The decent Pats teams from years past would have dicked them 3 or 4 nil. Woeful game of football.

You're dead right. They were there for the taking but we were just so lethargic. The chance was there to put the tie to bed tonight. A couple of years ago we would have tanked them.

CHealy

clickhere wrote: »

We gave Cork Bolger and Brown and got them Dennehy clowns in return. A handy draw for who ever gets the winner of this tie.

I dont mean to rub it in but I genuinely believe this is one of the best bits of business ever done in LOI football, JC has to be given credit for this. The Dennehy sisters are poison.

gimmick

clickhere wrote: »

Agree totally with your analysis. Every thing about the game was so pedestrian, we're just very poor at the moment. The players just don't seem interested in winning another 200k by getting into the next round. We gave Cork Bolger and Brown and got them Dennehy clowns in return. A handy draw for who ever gets the winner of this tie.

but but but, they were integral to the success of CCFC in the last few years and any CCFC fan who says they are delighted to be rid of the poisonous pair is just bitter :rolleyes:

Pighead

NufcNavan wrote: »

The decent Pats teams from years past would have dicked them 3 or 4 nil. Woeful game of football.

Pats might regret not getting a second. The Luxembourg team are pants but they still created three or four really good chances last night. You'd imagine they'll score at least one at home.

Billy Dennehy seems to be scared of taking on defenders. He got so much of the ball but his crossing was woeful. Bermingham not a shadow of the player he was before either. Plays it so safe nowadays. Gets the ball, turns back, passes to central defender. Where's the marauding full back who used to bomb forward at every given opportunity gone?

On the plus side Keith Treacy is looking leaner.

Noise Annoys

Ardent wrote: »

Was at the game. First time to Richmond Park. Quality was poor from both sides. St Pat's should have tried harder for a second- that team were for the taking.

Would you go to another match at Richmond Park?

It wasn't a great game. Pats are much poorer than they have been in a number of years, I wouldn't be surprised if Jeunesse Esch get through the tie.

NufcNavan

I'd still have Pats as favourites to get through. They should muster an away goal and that'll kill the tie.

kksaints

Good first half when we should have scored at least 1 or 2 more. Poor second half in which we could easily have conceded. As regards the Dennehy brothers Billy has been poor a fair bit this season and was terrible last night, Darren has had a mixed season but was decent last night and made a crucial goal line cleareance in the second half.

Oat23

Linfield v Cork is advertised as being on bet365 tonight if anyone has an account.

Gavin "shels"

Both games listed on streaming sites.

Oat23

Interesting that bet365 are using BWIN's trackchamp camera for the Cork game, but BWIN aren't streaming the game themselves.

The return game in Cork next week might be streamed as well then I guess.

KevIRL

Cork 1 up, rovers 1 down.