Tweaks and determination at heart of Shamrock Rovers' Champions League push ahead of Hibernians tie

Shamrock Rovers will be going into this season's Champions League campaign with added determination after the way last season's run ended according to ex-Hoops defender Graham Gartland.

Three SSE Airtricity League clubs are in European action this week with Shamrock Rovers facing Maltese side Hibernians at Tallaght Stadium in the first qualifying round. The fixture is live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Sligo Rovers and Derry City take on Wales' Bala Town and Latvian outfit Riga FC in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers. St Patrick's Athletic will enter UEFA's third club competition at the second round stage.

Last season saw Shamrock Rovers get within a two-legged tie of the Europa Conference League group stages but fell short against Estonia's Flora Tallinn in the play-off round.

With a domestic cushion over the chasing pack at home after wins over Bohemians, St Pat's and Finn Harps over the last fortnight, Gartland told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast that Stephen Bradley's side are eager to make a mark in Europe this time.

Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

"I wouldn't say pressure but I'd say they're a little bit more determined," he said, speaking before the club confirmed attacking midfielder Danny Mandroiu was set for a move to Lincoln City.

"There's a little bit more of a focus and determination on it. I know from talking to the players that Stephen was touching on stuff in pre-season that he