Irish League clubs set for another European adventure
Larne, Coleraine and Linfield will begin their European qualifying campaigns in July, facing opponents from San Marino, Finland and Estonia respectively.
After winning their third league title in four years, Larne will kick off their European campaign with a trip to San Marino to face Tre Fiori in the first round of Champions League qualifying on 7 July, followed by the home leg the next week. The San Marino champions won their domestic league by one point last season and have undergone significant changes, with 11 players leaving and eight new signings arriving. Larne will take confidence from Linfield's 2-0 victory over Tre Fiori in 2020, which was played in Nyon. The Inver Reds have now competed in Europe for six consecutive years and made history two seasons ago by beating Lincoln Red Imps to reach the Conference League group stage. 'The players want to get back there and experience it again. All six games were fantastic,' said Gary Haveron. If Larne lose the tie, they will drop into the third round of the Conference League.
Coleraine secured European football for the first time since 2018 after finishing second in the league and winning the Irish Cup. Manager Ruaidhri Higgins believes his side is in a much better position than last year. New signings Conor McMenamin and Jay Henderson bring international experience, while returning Ben Doherty is no stranger to European nights. Coleraine will face Finnish side HJK Helsinki in the second qualifying round of the Conference League on 23 and 30 July. HJK are fifth in the Veikkausliiga after 14 games and have scored the second-most goals this season. 'We go in as underdogs, but we have good preparation time. The ideal scenario is to keep the tie alive for the return leg,' Higgins said.
Linfield qualified for Europe through the end-of-season play-offs. Under David Healy, the club has created plenty of history but often struggled in European qualifiers. They will face Estonian side Nomme Kalju FC in the first qualifying round of the Conference League on 9 July (away) and a week later at Windsor Park. Nomme Kalju are currently third in their domestic league, 12 points behind leaders Levadia, and have won only one of their last six games. Linfield had a challenging campaign last year, being knocked out of the Conference League by Shelbourne. If Linfield beat Nomme Kalju, they will face Shelbourne again, with Shels having home advantage in the first leg.
