Simon Dalton presents his prediction bets on the 2024 Champions League match.
Last week, Shamrock Rovers and Vikingur had a very poor game, with neither team willing to take any risks. In Dublin, we shouldn't expect any open football either, as both sides expect to reach the next stage.
Since the beginning of March, Shamrock have won 5 out of 10 home games. Since May 10th, they haven’t scored over 2.5 goals on their field. In Reykjavik, Rovers were too passive on the opponent's half (only 27% ball possession after 90 minutes and not a single shot on target). Bradley's side finished the first match of the UEFA qualifier without a fullback, Nugent received a red card, but their defense is still strong enough.
On the one hand, Vikingur deserves credit for being more active in the first game of the qualifying stage. However, they lacked skills in realization. Gunnlaugsson substituted four players, but it didn’t work, and none of their 12 shots were on target. In Dublin, the Icelandic club could pay for such poor finishing.
The two equal sides are unlikely to show their full potential in the return match. Víkingur and Shamrock will score a maximum of two goals in regular time.
