Derry City are back in Europe on Thursday night, and manager Tiernan Lynch is framing a tough draw against Croatian side HNK Rijeka as exactly the kind of test his players want. The Candystripes host the first leg of their Uefa Conference League second qualifying round tie at the Brandywell (19:45 BST), looking to move on from a bruising exit from the Europa League.
A step up in class at the Brandywell
Rijeka are no minnows. They finished fourth in their domestic league last season and reached the Conference League league phase last year, so Derry know exactly what's coming.
Lynch singled out the visitors' quality on the ball. "They're a very good side, a very technical side and they're very possession based," he told BBC Sport NI, pointing to midfielder Toni Fruk, who recently returned from World Cup duty with the Croatian national team.
For Lynch it's about the learning curve as much as the result. "We always have to look at these as a great experience and what we can learn from them. You always want to test yourselves against better players and better teams," he said. Realistically, he'd settle for keeping things tight: "Ideally you would even take a draw off to be told and get yourself back on a level playing field to go into the second tie."
Bouncing back from a difficult European exit
Derry only dropped into this Conference League round after losing 5-3 on aggregate to CSKA Sofia in the Europa League first qualifying round. That's the context for Thursday - a chance to reset after a disappointing few weeks.
Lynch was full of praise for the home support despite that defeat. "The atmosphere last week was utterly electric. It's the best night I've had in the Brandywell. We lost the game, but I thought the fans were phenomenal," he said, adding that they "pulled us over the line at times."
The trouble that overshadowed the last home game
The second leg against CSKA Sofia at the Brandywell was marred by crowd trouble, with the match temporarily stopped and police deployed. As a result, Derry have been given a suspended partial stadium closure for a two-year probationary period, plus a fine of 20,000 euro (£17,000). CSKA Sofia were banned from bringing away fans to their next European fixture, with a further one-game sanction suspended for two years.
Lynch, whose own family were in the crowd, didn't hide his frustration at how the night is being remembered. "I think it's a game that probably should be remembered for football reasons," he said. "Unfortunately, it will probably be remembered for the crowd trouble and the disturbances... How intimidating it was, it was scary."
What it means for bettors
The BBC piece doesn't quote any prices, so there's no official odds to point to here. But the shape of the tie is clear enough on paper: Rijeka arrive with recent European experience and international-level players, while Derry are the League of Ireland side hoping home advantage and that Brandywell atmosphere can keep the aggregate score close before the return leg.
Lynch's own "take a draw and we'd be happy" line tells you plenty about the underdog role Derry are stepping into. The second leg follows on Thursday, 30 July, so the first-leg result on the night will shape how live this tie stays.
Sources:
We'll fold any fallout from this into the UK casino sites thread as it develops.
A step up in class at the Brandywell
Rijeka are no minnows. They finished fourth in their domestic league last season and reached the Conference League league phase last year, so Derry know exactly what's coming.
Lynch singled out the visitors' quality on the ball. "They're a very good side, a very technical side and they're very possession based," he told BBC Sport NI, pointing to midfielder Toni Fruk, who recently returned from World Cup duty with the Croatian national team.
For Lynch it's about the learning curve as much as the result. "We always have to look at these as a great experience and what we can learn from them. You always want to test yourselves against better players and better teams," he said. Realistically, he'd settle for keeping things tight: "Ideally you would even take a draw off to be told and get yourself back on a level playing field to go into the second tie."
Bouncing back from a difficult European exit
Derry only dropped into this Conference League round after losing 5-3 on aggregate to CSKA Sofia in the Europa League first qualifying round. That's the context for Thursday - a chance to reset after a disappointing few weeks.
Lynch was full of praise for the home support despite that defeat. "The atmosphere last week was utterly electric. It's the best night I've had in the Brandywell. We lost the game, but I thought the fans were phenomenal," he said, adding that they "pulled us over the line at times."
The trouble that overshadowed the last home game
The second leg against CSKA Sofia at the Brandywell was marred by crowd trouble, with the match temporarily stopped and police deployed. As a result, Derry have been given a suspended partial stadium closure for a two-year probationary period, plus a fine of 20,000 euro (£17,000). CSKA Sofia were banned from bringing away fans to their next European fixture, with a further one-game sanction suspended for two years.
Lynch, whose own family were in the crowd, didn't hide his frustration at how the night is being remembered. "I think it's a game that probably should be remembered for football reasons," he said. "Unfortunately, it will probably be remembered for the crowd trouble and the disturbances... How intimidating it was, it was scary."
What it means for bettors
The BBC piece doesn't quote any prices, so there's no official odds to point to here. But the shape of the tie is clear enough on paper: Rijeka arrive with recent European experience and international-level players, while Derry are the League of Ireland side hoping home advantage and that Brandywell atmosphere can keep the aggregate score close before the return leg.
Lynch's own "take a draw and we'd be happy" line tells you plenty about the underdog role Derry are stepping into. The second leg follows on Thursday, 30 July, so the first-leg result on the night will shape how live this tie stays.
Sources:
We'll fold any fallout from this into the UK casino sites thread as it develops.