Shamrock Rovers vs Molde Prediction: End of the road for plucky Irish outfit

Shamrock Rovers stunned Molde in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League knockout phase play-off tie last week, beating the Norwegians 1-0 at the Aker Stadion. The Irish side were helped by a 42nd-minute red card issued to Valdemar Lund, with 16-year-old Michael Noonan helping his team to take advantage of their superior numbers, netting a 57th-minute goal to become the competition's youngest-ever scorer.

The question now, is, can Shamrock protect, or add to their lead, in the second leg at Tallaght Stadium in South Dublin on Thursday (20:00, TNT Sports 2)? My Shamrock Rovers vs Molde predictions can be found below, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Daniel Cleary and Dylan Watts are both suspended for the hosts after picking up their third yellow cards of the Conference League campaign in Norway.

Jack Byrne, Trevor Clarke and Darragh Nugent all missed the first leg through injury and will be absent again in the return fixture, while Rory Gaffney, who has just returned from an issue of his own, isn't on Shamrock Rovers' European list.

Danny Mandroiu and Adam Matthews both came off injured in their side's 1-0 defeat to Bohemians last Sunday and manager Stephen Bradley has ruled the pair out of Thursday's clash.

Football Odds

Danish centre-back Lund is banned for the visitors after seeing red at the Aker Stadion, with Eirik Haugan set to take his place in the starting XI.

Veton Berisha (leg), Casper Oyvann (knee) and Johan Bakke (unspecified) are ruled out for Molde due to injury.

Shamrock Rovers vs Molde Odds

Shamrock Rovers went unbeaten at home in the Conference League league phase, drawing with APOEL (1-1) before beating TNS (2-1) and Borac (3-0), and the South Dublin side are 16/5 to secure a third straight European win at Tallaght Stadium, implying a 23.8% probability. Molde, meanwhile, are 8/11, or a 57.9% chance, to get the victory they need to at least force extra time on Thursday.

The draw, which would be enough to send Shamrock through to the last 16, is priced at 11/4, both teams to score at 4/5, and over 2.5 total goals at 5/6.

Rovers are 4/6 to win the tie by any means, with their visitors 11/10 in the same market.

To Win Tie - Molde @ 11/10

We all love an underdog story, and Shamrock certainly have a strong chance of qualifying from this tie, but unfortunately, I think Molde might sneak through, whether that be after regulation time, extra time, or a penalty shootout.

The Norwegians were dominating possession and enjoying the greater attacking momentum last Thursday before Rovers broke away and Lund lunged. From there, the Irish outfit took control of the game, netting through Noonan in the 57th minute and restricting Molde to just a single shot in the second half.

Things could have been very different had they kept 11 men on the pitch, so if they keep their cool in South Dublin, they have a good opportunity to beat the League of Ireland outfit.

Three of Shamrock's starters in the first leg, Cleary, Watts and Mandroiu, won't be able to feature at Tallaght Stadium, offering more encouragement to Molde, who can take advantage of an under-strength side.

Player to Receive a Card - Roberto Lopes (SHA) @ 11/4

Shamrock centre-back Roberto Lopes was a crucial member of the side that finished runners-up to Shelbourne last season, featuring in 33 - starting 31 - of their 36 league outings.

The Cape Verde international certainly put himself about, picking up 10 yellow cards and one red in the competition, and in the Conference League league phase, he was cautioned twice, including in two of his three away games (v Larne and Chelsea).

Lopes is averaging a foul per game in Europe this term, making two in Norway last week, and he's committed two fouls in each of his last three Conference League matches.

With Shamrock a goal up in this tie, we can expect Rovers to do everything in their power to remain so, and that could mean a few of their experienced players resorting to underhand tactics to help their side through.

At 32, skipper Lopes falls under that category, and 11/4 represents great value for him to pick up a third booking in four away outings.

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