Football Tips: Our 3 best bets for Shamrock Rovers v Vikingur Champions League qualifier

Our footie tipster Andrew Cunneen has a trio of fancies in mind.

By / Football Tips / 4 months ago

Shamrock Rovers v Vikingur Betting Tips

Shamrock Rovers to Win
Under 2.5 Goals
Under 1.5 first half goals

Irish sides in Europe. There’s an anthology of books ready to be written on this subject – whether it be the heights of Dave Rogers’ volley against Deportivo twenty years ago, or the lows of Bohs going to Wales and shipping four to TNS.

But the anticipation every single year is worth beholding.

It looks as though their bid for another league title is all but done, so the focus for Shamrock Rovers is solely on Europe and a cup run.

The Hoops went to Iceland last week and got the 0-0 draw their team selection suggested they were hoping for.

And while many see that as Stephen Bradley submitting to the pressure of football on the continent, those around football clubs know that European ties are chess games, if you’re not cash-rich.

This was a very good result and a good performance to-boot.

But now they have to attack Viking(ur) (sounds like a primitive screenplay set in Valhalla), are they up to it? Or do they bow out of the Champions League qualification puzzle at the very first attempt?

Here’s a look at the three best bets.

Shamrock Rovers to Win

What we learned last week is that Vikingur are very one dimensional.

They’re the furthest thing from creative in open play, but having to contend with brilliant deliveries into the box is the biggest issue Rovers faced in Iceland.

The towering Jon Gudni Fjoluson caused havoc in the Hoops area, but it seems unlikely he’ll be able to pop forward seventeen times in the second leg.

In truth, Rovers should have won the game by at least one goal.

And I’d expect to see them create far more at home when they can expose the weakness down Vikingur’s left-hand side.

Under 2.5 Goals

The issue with Rovers this season is they haven’t really got into a groove in the league. Confidence must be low, even if they have the best squad in the league by a considerable distance.

And the amount of focus on this in particular is huge. So winning this game essentially means their season.

They tend to produce tight affairs, so I’d be completely surprised if Bradley sends them out with the intention of just putting Vikingur to the sword, even if he feels their lack of pace is ripe for exploiting.

Under 1.5 first half goals

If we are following the path of a low key Shamrock win, then you might be waiting a while for a goal, as thee pressure creeps up in Tallaght.

They drew a blank in Iceland last time out, and have scored just two goals in their last four games overall, both coming via first half strikes from Johnny Kenny.

Shamrock Rovers v Vikingur Tips

Shamrock Rovers to Win
Under 2.5 Goals
Under 1.5 first half goals

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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