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Egnatia and Shamrock Rovers will play the second leg of their Europa League qualifying third-round tie on Thursday, with a place in the playoff round up for grabs.
The visitors arrive in Albania with a two-goal lead to defend, having won the first leg 3-1 last week.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Egnatia vs. Shamrock Rovers key stats
- Egnatia have lost eight of their last 17 matches.
- Egnatia scored 12 goals in their four Champions League qualifying legs.
- Shamrock Rovers have won 11 of their last 16 matches.
- Shamrock Rovers are winless in their last three away games across league and continental games.
Egnatia vs. Shamrock Rovers preview: Shamrock Rovers to get over the line in Albania
Egnatia vs. Shamrock Rovers — Tale of the Tape
| Egnatia | vs | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd (2025-26 Kategoria Superiore) | Position | 1st (League of Ireland Premier Division) |
| 57 | Points | 54 |
| 16 | Goals For | 43 |
| 11 | Goals Against | 24 |
| 17 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
| 3rd | Home / Away Rank | 2nd |
Egnatia head into their home second leg needing to overturn a two-goal deficit on Thursday to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
After securing the Romanian title with three straight wins in the final group, their continental bid began in the first round of Champions League qualifying, and they would progress past Petrocub in style, drawing 1-1 away and dishing out a 6-0 beating at home.
A tie with Celje then followed, and Nevil Dede's team fell just short of a third-round place, drawing 3-3 at home and 2-2 away before only falling in a penalty shootout, dropping into the running for Europe's secondary competition as a result.
They left themselves with a mountain to climb last week having been drawn with Shamrock Rovers, losing the away leg 3-1 despite being level at the break thanks to Guillem Jaime's leveller, having not played since with their domestic campaign not kicking off for another week.
Still with positives to take, having scored nine goals in their two home qualifying matches so far this season, they will go all out to turn the tie round on Thursday and progress to the final stage of qualifying.
Their visitors, meanwhile, arrive with a cushion after last week's win.
2025 League of Ireland Premier Division champions Shamrock Rovers also began their continental campaign in the first round of Champions League qualifying, overturning a 2-0 deficit to beat Floriana 5-3 before narrowly losing 3-2 on aggregate to Ararat-Armenia.
Then with their sights set on the Europa League league phase, the Hoops welcomed Egnatia last week and took an important lead, going ahead in the first half through Graham Burke before Roberto Lopes and an own goal made it 3-1 around the hour mark.
Unlike their opponents, Stephen Bradley's side are in the midst of a competitive domestic season, currently sitting seven points clear at the top of the Irish top flight in their title defence having earned 54 points from their 27 games, winning 16 of those while scoring 43 goals and conceding 24.
They made it back-to-back victories and four games unbeaten at the weekend, beating Dundalk 3-2 with Dylan Watts, Michael Noonan and Jonathan Afolabi on the scoresheet, and now head to Albania looking to get over the line in their third-round tie.
Egnatia vs. Shamrock Rovers form guide & betting tips
| Egnatia | vs | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
DWDLL |
Form | LWDWW |
| 13 | Goals For | 8 |
| 10 | Goals Against | 6 |
L |
Europa League qualifying | W |
Whispers predicts: Egnatia 2-2 Shamrock Rovers (Shamrock Rovers win 5-3 on aggregate)
Both teams have scored in all five of Egnatia's continental qualifying games so far this season. Both Teams to Score is priced at 8/13 (1.62).
Just one of those European games involving Thursday's hosts have seen fewer than four goals, and they will be forced to chase the tie with home advantage, pushing for much-needed goals while perhaps leaving themselves vulnerable on the break. We fancy over 3.5 goals for the second time in the tie at 7/4 (2.75).
The two teams had five corners each in the first leg in Ireland, and in what could be a more open second leg with a playoff spot to fight for, we anticipate a high corner count on Thursday. Over 9.5 corners is priced at 10/11 (1.91).
> Both Teams to Score at 8/13 (1.62) | Likelihood: Likely
> Over 3.5 goals at 7/4 (2.75) | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 9.5 corners at 10/11 (1.91) | Likelihood: Probable