Europa Conference League Odds: What Are Shamrock Rovers’ Chances?
Daire Walsh
Their quest for a UEFA Europa Conference League knockout spot may have come to an end, but that hasn’t stopped betting sites for football from taking an interest in League of Ireland club Shamrock Rovers ahead of their clash with Belgium’s Gent at Tallaght Stadium tomorrow night.
Following a 2-0 defeat at home to Molde on October 13, Rovers find themselves six points behind the second-placed Norwegian outfit with just two games left to play in Group F.
Whereas this would have left the Dublin-based side with a slim chance of reaching the next phase of a European competition in the past, the current head-to-head rule ensures that a top-two finish is beyond their reach.
In addition to their reversal in Tallaght just under a fortnight ago, Stephen Bradley’s side also lost out 3-0 to Molde a week earlier at Aker Stadion.
This certainly comes as a disappointment for this Rovers group, who had high ambitions on their return to group stage European football.
Rovers Have Past European Group Stage Experience
Back in the 2011/12 season, the Hoops made history by competing in Group A of the UEFA Europa League alongside PAOK, Rubin Kazan and Tottenham Hotspur.
No Irish club had advanced this far in a European competition before and even though a Rovers team managed by former Stoke City and Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill went on to suffer six defeats on the bounce, it couldn’t take away from what is still viewed as a ground-breaking achievement.
Their league rivals Dundalk have since competed in the Europa League group stages on two occasions (2016/17 and 2020/21), but the introduction of the Conference League has created an extra avenue for Rovers – who previously featured in the qualification phase of both the Champions League and the Europa League this season.
Though their campaign in this third-tier competition hasn’t gone according to plan, Bradley’s men will nonetheless be looking to sign off on their lengthy European odyssey with a positive note.
In fact, a win on Thursday at the expense of Gent would at least keep them in the reckoning for a respectable third-place finish in Group F. Question is, what are their chances of doing so?
Gent Expected To Come Through Clash With Their Irish Rivals
Just three points separate the two sides in the table, but it is the Belgians who are the clear favourites to prevail in the south Dublin venue.
As it stands, the best football betting sites are offering odds of 8/13 on Gent coming away with maximum points from this fixture.
By contrast, Rovers – despite being the home side – are rated as only a 4/1 possibility to grab their first win of the group.
The Irish men claimed a point against current table-toppers Djurgardens in their first game of the campaign however, and they are more than capable of doing so again in what will be their penultimate game at Tallaght in all competitions.
Paddy Power have given due consideration to the game ending in a stalemate and are placing a value of 14/5 on such a scenario occurring.
However, the general consensus across most bookmakers is that Rovers will be up against it in their fifth of six Conference League outings.
Gent Looking For Maximum Return Against Rovers
Following back-to-back reversals to Djurgardens, Gent will be seeking to avoid any kind of negative result in Dublin.
While it isn’t possible for the Belgians to advance directly into the last-16 of the Conference League as group winners, they are still in contention for a last-32 spot.
This can only be achieved by leapfrogging Molde into second position in the group.
Although the Norwegians are facing the high-flying Djurgardens next, so Gent can ill-afford to concede any further ground to those above them.
Rovers On Cloud Nine Following Latest League Success
Despite being on a run of three straight losses in this competition, Rovers will be in a confident mood for the visit of Gent to their home patch.
This is as a result of claiming their third successive SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title.
After their main challengers Derry City could only share the spoils with Sligo Rovers on Monday, the Hoops moved eight points clear of the northerners with just two games left to play.
Even though Derry put them under tremendous pressure in the past couple of months, Rovers’ consistency over the course of the season makes them worthy three in-a-row champions.
The football being played by the Hoops on the domestic front is pleasing on the eye, but the fact they are yet to register a single goal in the Conference League group stages is something that won’t be sitting well with them.
Thursday’s game presents them with an ideal opportunity to reverse this statistic, but betting apps just don’t see it happening.