David Sneyd

IN THE DAYS after Shelbourne secured their place in tonight’s Champions League second-round qualifier with Azeri giants Qarabag, manager Joey O’Brien sat down with striker Mipo Odubeko and went through his performance in the second leg of the first-round win over Linfield.

“I thought his overall game was probably his best performance for us,” O’Brien said.

Odubeko didn’t score and Shels didn’t win on the night, but the 1-1 draw was enough to progress after a 1-0 victory in Dublin was secured courtesy of a wonderful Odubeko goal. Such was his display in Belfast, though, O’Brien wanted to provide a full debrief to the striker to lay out exactly why he was so impressive.

And he reeled off a rapid breakdown on the eve of this tie. “Everything really from the get-go, just his engagement in the game, his role leading the line, his hold-up play, his understanding of space, his runs, his use of the ball. I think at times, especially up there as well, in games, and it’s going to be same [against Qarabag]. There’s times where he gets a little bit disconnected from the team,” O’Brien said.

“But you’ve got to be able to make the ball stick and be able to turn it in at the top line, hold the ball up to you, take a little bit of pressure off the back line. I thought he’d done that brilliantly. Here, it’s just his overall use of the ball, his decision-making was top drawer.”

It is that level of performance that will be required by Odubeko and all of his teammates tonight if Shels are to cause an upset against Qarabag.

They have reached the group/league phase of European competition in each of the last 11 seasons and are ranked 57th in Uefa’s coefficient – above Celtic, Galatasaray and last year’s beaten Conference League finalists Real Betis.

Between 2014 and 2023 they won all nine second-round qualifiers in the Champions League, beating Dundalk in ’19 as well as FC Zurich in ’22. That’s a handy reference point given the Swiss side were a class above Shels when they met in Conference League action last season.

Qarabag did suffer defeat at this stage in 2023/24, losing out to Raków Częstochowa of Poland before going on to reach the last 16 of the Europa League when Bayer Leverkusen won a thrilling tie 5-4 on their way to reaching that season’s final at Aviva Stadium.

The visitors to Tolka tonight did make it as far as the Champions League play-off round last year, only to lose 5-0 over two legs and then suffer a demoralising Europa League campaign which saw them finish bottom of the new 36-team league phase with seven defeats from eight games.

If you’re looking for small mercies and hopes of a European hangover lingering, maybe that is something to cling to.

“The players have changed, but the way they try to play and the formation hasn’t really changed, to be honest,” O’Brien said.

“So, from that point of view, it’s just quality players. Here, listen, they’re going to come over here, back themselves, try to dominate the ball possession-wise. We need to make sure we’re defending, staying on guard at the top of the pitch.

“We need to embrace that challenge. That’s what it’s all about for me, going in against a player that, yeah, on paper, people are talking about that should be better, or is better than you. That’s why football is magic, man. You go out in 90 minutes, take a crack off them, see who’s standing at the end of it.”

The draw for the next round of European qualifiers earlier this week means both sides know what awaits after this tie. If Shels can pull off one of the biggest shocks for an Irish club in Europe and progress to the third qualifying round they will face either FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) or KF Shkendija from North Macedonia. Not only that, they’d also be guaranteed a place in the Europa League play-off with a parachute into the league phase of the Conference League.

In that instance a minimum of €3.17 million is coming their way in prize money. However, should Qarabag progress then the champions’ path means Shels will have the safety net of a Europa League third-round tie with either Ludogorets (Bulgaria) or Rijeka (Croatia), and the guarantee of at least a Conference League play-off after that.

Shels are also protecting an 11-game unbeaten run at home in Europe that stretches back to 2004 – by which point in their own history Qarabag had never played in the Champions League and their only win in 12 European fixtures was a 2-1 victory away to Maccabi Haifa in the old Intertoto Cup.

“Underdogs, like you said. Irish people in general love that, don’t they? Watching the hurling there at the weekend and it was the underdogs that won it,2 O’Brien said, referencing Tipperary’s win over Cork in the All-Ireland final.

“That is the way we are looking at this, it is a chance for us to attack the game and create an upset.”

Tonight – Champions League second-round qualifier (first leg): Shelbourne v Qarabag, 7.45pm (Live on Premier Sports)