Shamrock Rovers welcome Albanian champions KF Teuta Durrës to Tallaght Stadium for their UEFA Europa Conference League Third Round, first leg on Thursday night. Rovers who had a bye in Round Two will be hoping to keep up their impressive recent form
Shamrock Rovers welcome Albanian champions KF Teuta Durrës to Tallaght Stadium for their UEFA Europa Conference League Third Round, first leg on Thursday night.
Rovers who had a bye in Round Two will be hoping to keep up their impressive recent form and make home advantage count as they seek to progress.
The winners of the tie will face the losers of the Europa League fixture between Omonia Nicosia and Flora Tallin.
Thursday’s match kicks-off at 8pm and is available to watch for €10 on LOITV. The second leg will take place in Durrës on Thursday August 12th at 7pm Irish time.
Opposition Overview
Teuta are based in the coastal city of Durrës which has a population of just over 100,000 people. Their home games are played at the 13,000 capacity Niko Dovano Stadium.
Last season Teuta won their first Kategoria Superiore title in over 25 years on goal difference with the third placed team just one point behind too.
Teuta come into Thursday’s game following their dramatic 3-2 extra-time progression in Round Two against Inter Club d’Escaldes. Prior to that, the Albanian side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round at the hands of FC Sheriff Tiraspol.
With the Albanian league yet to resume, Teuta are in pre-season and their sole non-European fixture was a 1-0 win over Macedonian side FK Sileks at the end of June.
The Defence
Winning the title on goal difference was primarily down to Teuta’s strong defensive record. The Albanian side conceded 16 goals in 34 games which was six fewer than the league runners-up Vllaznia Shkodër.
A resolute back line limited opposition to an average of 7.99 shots per game compared to the league wide average of 10.14. Teuta also had a strong success rate for defensive duels (61.95%) and had a strong disciplinary record with the second lowest yellow cards (68) and lowest red cards (1) throughout the season.
Goalkeeper Stivi Frashëri was deemed to have prevented 7.16 goals over the course of the title winning campaign which was higher than any other in the league.
Midfield
Teuta like to get the ball forward quickly with an emphasis on long passes and passes to the final third.
Defensive midfielder Albano Aleksi is their pass master with the highest number in the league and third highest per 90 mins (53.7). Aleksi is suspended for the first leg but is expected to play a role in the second leg.
Attack
A key element to Teuta’s attack last season was their prolific frontman Dejvi Bregu who topped the leagues goalscoring (16) and chipped in with seven assists. Fortunately for Stephen Bradley’s side Bregu has since departed the club and leaves a void for the Albanians to fill.
When it came to chances created, Teuta were only slightly above average compared to their domestic opposition. They had 11.34 shots per game with 35.7% on target, 14.45 touches in the penalty area and were the fourth highest scorers in the league with 42 goals in 36 games.
Teuta in Europe
This year is Teuta’s third successive season with European football with regular appearances since the 1990’s. The furthest the club have advanced was last term when they overcame Beitar Jerusalem in the UEFA Europa League First Qualifying Round. All ties last term were one-legged affairs and Teuta were eliminated by La Liga side Granada 4-0 in Round Two.
The Albanian champions face ‘The Hoops’ having turnaround a 2-0 deficit to Andorra’s Inter Club d’Escaldes to advance 3-2 on aggregate after extra-time last week.
Thursday will be the first time Teuta face Irish opposition in Rovers and will have confidence following their recent exploits.
Key Player – Emiljano Villa
In the absence of last season’s star Bregu and the suspended Aleksi, Teuta will hope the experienced Villa will step up and lead the team.
The versatile Albanian midfielder players predominantly on the righthand side and was an ever present in the team, starting all 36 league games last season. The number 88 who from Durrës started his career with the club before moving to Dinamo Zagreb and clubs throughout Greece, Albania and Azerbaijan.
Villa has over 26 international appearances and was last involved in 2014.
Manager - Eduard Martini
Martini had a successful playing career including a brief spell with German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 46-year-old Albanian has spent his managerial career in his home country and is in charge of Teuta for the second time having previously been at the helm in 2010/2011.
Since his re-appointment in 2019, Martini has led the club to the Albanian Cup, Albanian Super Cup and their first league title in over 25 years.
