Champions League second round qualifying, second leg: Shamrock Rovers (0) Ararat-Armenia (2), Tallaght Stadium, Tuesday, 8pm – Stream on solidsport.comShamrock Rovers are back on familiar terrain, with a place in the third round of Champions League qualifying and the guarantee of competing in this season’s Uefa Conference League on the line at Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday night. Rovers reached the Conference League the hard way last season, by coming from behind against Ballkani of Kosovo before knocking out Portuguese club Santa Clara. Stephen Bradley’s men can fully focus on their European ties at this time of year as the other League of Ireland sides have consistently failed to drag them into a title race. The latest example came last Friday, when St Patrick’s Athletic drew at home against Dundalk to leave the defending champions seven points clear of the Saints and Bohemians at the top of the table. [ About Ararat-Armenia: Shamrock Rovers’ Euro opponents bankrolled by Putin-linked oligarchOpens in new window ]Ararat are the best team Rovers have met since losing 6-2 on aggregate to Sparta Prague in 2024. Despite being in preseason, second-half goals from Sandro Lima and Zidane Banjaqui in Yerevan last week saw the Armenians punish mistakes Rovers usually get away with in the Premier Division. Only founded in 2017, by Russian backers, Ararat was originally an academy system that morphed into the dominant club in Armenia. The departure of five foreign players this summer has been offset by the arrival of local talent including Varazdat Haroyan, Narek Alaverdyan, Arman Khachatryan, Benik Hovhannisyan, Petros Alekyan and Edgar Movsesyan. Ricardo Dionísio, their Portuguese coach, can also turn to a Brazilian striker in Lima and several African midfielders. Bradley has yet to settle on his strongest starting XI. Not by choice. John McGovern was recently added to the list of injured attackers as the Arsenal-bound Victor Ozhianvuna, Danny Mandroiu and Rory Gaffney leave the door open for two teenagers, Naj Razi and Michael Noonan, to command regular football. If Bradley picks them. Last week, Razi only replaced Jack Byrne in injury time, while new signing Jonathan Afolabi relieved veteran striker Aaron Greene as Rovers chased an equaliser.Afolabi could prove to be the missing ingredient if the former Republic of Ireland under-21 can rediscover the form that saw him finish top scorer in the League of Ireland while at Bohemians in 2023. If Rovers manage to turn around the 2-0 deficit, they will play Celje from Slovenia or Egnatia from Albania in the third round. If not, they face the loser from a first leg that has Celje and Egnatia locked at 3-3, in the Europa League third round, which comes with the guarantee of a playoff to reach the Conference League proper. The prize money for reaching the Champions League is €18.6 million, €5.3 million for the Europa League and €4.6 million for the Conference League. Tickets for Tallaght’s 10,500 all-seater venue are available, with Bradley confident that the Rovers fans will provide the energy needed to progress. “Our fans have come on the journey with us throughout the years in Europe,” he said. “They’ve seen the highs and the lows and they understand, they’ve learned as well when we need them, when we need their energy. “Our fans are a clever bunch; they know when to bring it.”