Uefa Conference League, second-round qualifier, second leg: Ballkani (Kosovo) v Bohemians, Pristina, Thursday, 7pm – Live on play.bohemians.ie (Bohs lead 2-1 on aggregate)The Ballkani that stood off Bohemians in the closing stages last week in Dalymount Park and invited an equaliser by Douglas James-Taylor before Ross Tierney’s 90th-minute winner are not expected to reappear in the Kosovan capital.Expect the Ballkani that beat Shamrock Rovers 1-0 at the Pristina City stadium last August. Expect the side that dominated proceedings last Wednesday until they decided to cling on to Toni Domgjoni’s first-half penalty instead of putting the tie to bed.The difference in quality, and in size, might be too much for the Premier Division side to handle unless Alan Reynolds selects a line-up to not only defend their 2-1 advantage but also score early. That would point to the manager starting the team that finished last week as both Harry Vaughan and James-Taylor made a push to be included from the off.The lesson repeatedly learned by teams in European competition is that to hold what you have is no longer possible against teams that are used to cracking open the low-block in their domestic leagues.If Bohs want to earn the right to face either Besiktas JK (Turkey) or FC Midtjylland (Denmark) in the next round, with the Istanbul club leading 1-0 from the first-leg, they will need to attack.The risk versus reward is undeniable as Ballkani’s powerful centre forward Valentin Serebe showed how much damage can be done on the counter. Even if Bohs concede two goals all they need is one to force a penalty shoot-out. That might be their best route into the third round and a probable trip to the Turkish capital.
Bohemians to face very different Ballkani side to the one they beat at Dalymount
If Gypsies can get through tough Conference League away tie their reward could be trip to Besiktas








