Context makes Shamrock Rovers v Molde tie a real toss-up - Graham Gartland

When the Shamrock Rovers team bus pulls in towards the Aker Stadion in northwestern Norway, the waterside venue will be quite familiar to most of the Hoops' players.

Almost two and a half years ago, Stephen Bradley's side took on the home side Molde there in the UEFA Conference League group stages but ended up losing 3-0.

A week later, the Norwegians came away from Tallaght Stadium with a 2-0 victory.

If Rovers have been harbouring any long-held ambitions to avenge those defeats, they have not had to wait long for that opportunity to arise - and the context has shifted markedly.

The Conference League underwent a revamp for this season with the introduction of a 'League Phase' to replace the group stages and Shamrock Rovers thrived en route to booking their place in the first knockout stage.

Molde also made it through to this play-off phase - but barely - squeezing through in 23rd place of the 24 teams to advance from the opening phase, while also enduring an indifferent domestic campaign.

Since then they have appointed a new manager in former men's and women's national team boss Per-Mathias Høgmo and lost a friendly in Spain to St Patrick's Athletic earlier this month as they build towards both Thursday and the start of the Norwegian league season which does not kick off until the end of March.

So as fate - or more precisely the format would have it - Rovers and Molde have been pitched together in the play-off round with Bradley's side on the road for Thursday's first leg.

And according to former Hoops defender Graham Gartland, compared to the October 2022 head-to-heads, this tie, which sandwiches Sunday's highly-anticipated Aviva Stadium derby against Bohemians, will be more of a toss-up as to who goes through to the last-16.

"I