Shelburn take on the visitors Qarabag in the first leg of UEFA Champions League Qualification round of quarterfinals.The match will be played on Wednesday, July 23nd at Tolka Park (Dublin).
Shelbourne made a breakthrough last season but failed to establish themselves among the leaders The Reds are a strong and ambitious club that finally secured their 14th league title last year — their first since 2006. Back then, the team was led by Damien Duff — yes, the same former flying winger of Ireland, Chelsea, and Newcastle — and many believed they edged Shamrock Rovers mainly because their rivals were distracted by a successful European campaign. However, Duff has since been dismissed, and it’s hard to argue with that decision considering the team’s notable decline. The managerial change hasn’t brought much improvement in domestic competition, where the club remains mid-table and far behind Shamrock. At least they managed to get past Linfield in European qualifiers — winning 1-0 at home and drawing 1-1 away, despite playing half an hour with a man advantage. The team is still struggling to maintain consistency in both performance and results.
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Qarabag briefly lost their grip on domestic dominance, but that was a one-off — much like PSG’s occasional slip-ups in Ligue 1. In general, they remain the undisputed powerhouse of Azerbaijani football. Last season, they regained the title in convincing fashion, finishing 15 points clear at the top of the table. However, Qarabag once again failed to reach the Champions League group stage, losing heavily to Dinamo Zagreb in the playoff round — 0-5 on aggregate. Things didn’t improve in the Europa League either, where they suffered seven defeats and only managed a single away win against Bodø/Glimt. This time, they’ll be determined to get off to a strong start and avoid any unnecessary drama in the early stages.
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two clubs from opposite corners of Europe. Qarabag’s quality should be enough to outweigh Shelbourne’s home advantage. Back the visitors to win.
Prediction for the match: Qarabag to win.
