2024 League of Ireland Premier Division champions Shelbourne take on 2024/25 NIFL Premiership winners Linfield in an all-Ireland Champions League qualifier. In theory, these are the two best teams each side of the border has to offer, and it’s set to be a mouthwatering tie, kicking off at Tolka Park on Wednesday, July 9th.
Regular readers of this page will, of course, be no strangers to Shelbourne, but who are Linfield, and what threat do they pose to Joey O’Brien’s side?
The 57-time champions of Northern Ireland are managed by former Northern Ireland international David Healy, who has been in charge since October 2015 and is hoping to mark a decade at the helm with qualification for the league phase of European football.
Last season, Linfield scored 68 goals and conceded 28, an average of 1.8 goals scored and 0.7 conceded per game. Compare that to Shelbourne’s 2025 League of Ireland campaign, where they averaged 1.2 goals scored and 1.1 conceded per game. On paper, Linfield look the more clinical of the two sides, but Shels fans will be glad to hear that Linfield’s top scorer, Joel Cooper, left the club this summer to join Coleraine. A quote from Cooper that may amuse LOI fans came when he explained his reason for signing: “I can’t wait to play for Ruaidhri Higgins.”
Linfield kicked off their 2025/26 season last Friday night in the Northern Irish Charity Shield. The game finished scoreless after normal time, and they lost on penalties to Dungannon Swifts. In that match, Linfield lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation both in and out of possession, but the three attacking players are flexible, and the shape often shifts into a 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1. Full-backs are also encouraged to get forward in this system.
In terms of their approach, Linfield are a team that looks to play out from the back and will only go direct when forced. For the most part, they aim to keep the ball on the ground with quick, intricate passing. Off the ball, they press aggressively and are eager to win possession back high up the pitch.
In regards to key players, Matthew Fitzpatrick will likely be Linfield’s main goal threat, he scored 12 goals in the NIFL Premiership last season. Another to watch is Kirk Millar, who’s been at the club for over a decade and will be important if Linfield are to progress to the next round of Champions League qualifiers.
Last year’s Shamrock Rovers vs Larne tie in the UEFA Conference League showed the gap in quality between the NIFL and the League of Ireland, but I think this one will be a lot closer. Shelbourne will likely have less of the ball but may well be the fitter of the two sides, and probably edge it in individual quality, but I don’t think there’ll be many goals.
A man who knows both leagues well is Pat Fenlon, current Director of Football at Bohemians and former CEO of Linfield. Here’s what he had to say:
“I’d have to fancy Shels, given the season structure and their amount of games. Shels’ budget would be bigger than Linfield’s, on a given day that can turn but Shels have a good squad and have just played so many league matches when Linfield have none
“They have the advantage, the turmoil of Damien Duff leaving could galvanise them more than it will harm them but what they have and where they are in their season, Shels have the advantage.”
The first leg will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2, with kick-off at 7:45pm. I’m not expecting a vintage game of football, but if I had to put money on it, I’d back the team from the south to come out on top.