Bohemians take on Icelandic Úrvalsdeild side Stjarnan in the First Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. It will be Bohs' first appearance since 2013 and the Gypsies will be hoping to bring a positive result back to the Aviva Stadiu
Bohemians take on Icelandic Úrvalsdeild side Stjarnan in the First Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
It will be Bohs' first appearance since 2013 and the Gypsies will be hoping to bring a positive result back to the Aviva Stadium next week.
Overview
08/07 - First Leg – Stjarnan v Bohemians, KO 20:45 (stream TBC)
15/07 - Second Leg – Bohemians v Stjarnan, KO 19:45 (stream available, details TBC will be available on LOITV website in the coming days @ €10)
Having only joined the league in 2009, Stjarnan won their solitary title in 2014 with an un-beaten season and record equalling points total at the time. The club is located in the town of Garðabær and the Stjörnuvöllur Stadium has a capacity of 1,298.
Current form and Statistics
Stjarnan have had a mixed start to their 2021 campaign, currently sitting in seventh with just 3 wins in 12 outings.
Attack
They do however boast the second highest shots attempted and third highest crosses in the division but have not managed to convert their chances into goals with a total of 12 for the season to date.
Midfield
Stjarnan have had an average of 45.6 possession per game this year. They like to get for-ward quickly with the fourth highest passed to the final third (687) and the second most long passes in the division.
Defence
On the defensive front, Stjarnan have blocked the most shots and also won 516 aerial duels, the second highest in the league.
European Record
Stjarnan faced Irish opposition in 2017 when Shamrock Rovers defeated them 1-0 in both legs with goals from Gary Shaw and Graham Burke.
Close to home, they defeated Bangor City (8-0 on aggregate), Motherwell (5-4 on aggregate) and Polish giants Lech Poznań (1-0 on aggregate) in what was a historic run for the club in the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League. Their European adventure that year was ended in the final Play-Off vs Inter Milan.
Their last appearance was in the UEFA Europa League 2019-20 where they defeated Estonian side FCI Levadia on away goals before a 7-1 aggregate defeat to Spanish side RCD Espanyol.
Key Player - Hilmar Árni Halldórsson
Position: Forward
The 29 year old Icelandic forward has been a shing light this season with 3 goals and 2 as-sists in 10 games. Halldórsson also tops the league charts for progressive passes and shows a real intent to get forward. The number 10 has been with Stjarnan since 2016 and featured against Shamrock Rovers in 2017.
Manager - Þorvaldur Örlygsson
More affectionately known as ‘Toddy" Örlygsson, Stjarnan’s Manager had a distinguished career in England, with spells at Nottingham Forrest, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic. Örlygsson was also the Assistant Coach for the Iceland U17 who played in the 2019 UEFA U17 Championships in Ireland.
