Football Bet of the Day: Rovers to take commanding lead

Irish league leaders Shamrock Rovers travel to Gibraltar to face St Joseph’s at the Europa Point Stadium in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League second qualifying round tie on Thursday (17:00 BST, OneFootball).

The match features in Thursday's Football Bet of the Day, which you can check out below.

The visitors arrive in strong form, having won 10 of their last 13 matches, and are buoyed by a convincing 4-0 victory over Wexford in the FAI Cup in their most recent outing. They are expected to take a first-leg advantage back to Dublin and are strong favourites to progress to the next round.

Rovers reached the knockout stages of last season’s Conference League, advancing from the group stage to the round of 32 before being narrowly eliminated by Molde on penalties.

They will be looking to start another European campaign with a positive result in Gibraltar.

St Joseph's vs Shamrock Rovers Odds

Shamrock Rovers are favourites at 4/6 to register the win, while St Joseph’s are available at 18/5, with the draw at 5/2.

Over 3.5 goals is priced at 9/4, with the unders at 1/3, while both teams finding the back of the net is 5/6, with at least one clean sheet priced at 5/6.

Shamrock Rovers are well-positioned to take control of this tie with the Irish Premier Division leaders coming into the clash with strong domestic form, recent European pedigree, and a clinical attack, all of which point towards a convincing away win in a high-scoring encounter.

The Hoops warmed up for this fixture with a dominant 4-0 win over Wexford in the FAI Cup, underlining their attacking strength and confidence in front of goal. They now face a St Joseph’s side that has consistently struggled defensively at European level.

St Joseph’s have conceded 17 goals in their past six European matches and looked particularly fragile in the previous round, narrowly edging past Cliftonville 5-4 on aggregate.

The Gibraltarians were exposed in both legs of that tie and will face a much sterner test against a Rovers team with far more quality and experience.

Shamrock more than held their own in last season’s Conference League, reaching the round of 32 and losing only once in the league stage, to eventual winners Chelsea. That campaign included three wins and two draws from six league stage matches, and their composure and quality on the road make them strong favourites to take a commanding lead back to Dublin.

Today's Football Fixtures

Rovers have been reliable scorers on their European travels and have the firepower to punish any defensive lapses.

While St Joseph’s showed some attacking threat against Cliftonville, scoring five goals across the two legs, their inability to keep clean sheets makes a high-scoring game very likely.

With that in mind, backing Shamrock Rovers to win and over 3.5 goals in the match appeals.

Over 3.5 Goals is also a suggested bet from another of our tipsters in his St Joseph's vs Shamrock Rovers Prediction article elsewhere on the site, so clearly goals are expected on Thursday evening!

Offers

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