Shamrock 0 - 2 Juventus

Hoops ready to make their mark on European football

Updated: July 29, 2010, 11:47 AM BST

Shamrock Rovers may have been the first ever Irish club to play in European competition, although history warns them to be cautious ahead of Thursday night's clash with Juventus, Gareth Maher writes.

The Dublin club first dipped their toes in European football when they hosted Matt Busby's Manchester United back in 1957, but that 6-0 defeat at Dalymount Park is rarely mentioned by their supporters.

Since then, the results in European qualifiers have been quite mixed. While there have been a highs - almost knocking Bayern Munich out of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1966 - it has mostly been disappointment that Rovers have experienced.

Now they are hoping to change that by claiming what would be the biggest scalp in their history when they host Serie A giants Juventus at Tallaght Stadium in their Europa League third-round qualifier.

Of course, not many are expecting a home win and the consensus appears to be that history will be repeated and the Hoops will fall short in their efforts to clear that big European hurdle.

But manager Michael O'Neill has adopted a different outlook. He believes his team can cause an upset and is banking on the Rovers fans to create a hostile atmosphere for the Italian side.

"I think we have a group of players here that are capable of ruffling a few feathers in the Juventus team and who knows what will happen on the night," O'Neill said.

"With Juventus coming to Tallaght, in many ways the pressure is off. We understand that it is important to give a good account of ourselves and we know that we are capable, particularly in Tallaght, of causing an upset.

"The longer the game stays 0-0, the tie is very much alive. At some point obviously to get through we know that we have to score and our best chance of doing that is probably here in Tallaght."

Rovers reached this stage of the competition after beating Israeli side Bnei Yehuda in the previous round, so confidence is definitely soaring high in O'Neill's squad.

The former Northern Ireland international has done a good job since he came in last year to guide the most successful club in the League of Ireland to a runners-up spot in the Premier Division.

This season has seen further improvement with some astute signings and a more balanced tactical approach. It took some time, but O'Neill finally knows what his best team is and that bodes well going into this first leg clash.

Juventus won't know much about the Rovers team, although they will be surprised by the quality littered throughout their starting XI. From dependable shot-stopper Alan Mannus to league veteran Dan Murray to the exciting James Chambers to main striker Gary Twigg, they have the backbone of a team that is hard to beat and good on the counter-attack.

O'Neill is likely to stick with the same line-up that beat Bnei Yehuda in Tel Aviv thanks to a single goal from Thomas Stewart, so that means they will set up in a 4-5-1 formation - a system that could work to stifle their high-profile opponents.

The pressure is most definitely on Juventus going into the game, especially since it is Luigi Del Neri's first competitive game in charge, so the Rovers boss is expecting a tough test even if he doesn't know what their starting XI will be.

"Juventus are at a very early stage in their preparations for the season and have only played two friendlies of note, against Hamburg and Lyon. I think when you look at their squad it is difficult to judge what their team will be," he admitted.

"There is quality throughout their squad. They obviously have players returning from World Cup action, so how much involvement they'll have will obviously be depend on where their manager feels their fitness levels are.

"They have a lot to consider in relation to how they prepare their team for this game, so our focus will be on ourselves. We know we're playing against a top-class side with top-class players and regardless what information we give to the players that is not going to change."

For Rovers, this game is a chance to create history and to finally get that big European upset that they have been chasing since 1957. The spotlight is beaming down - now is the time to perform.

Gareth Maher covers Irish football for ESPN Soccernet. Check out his website www.garethmaher.com to read more of his writing.