Víkingur Reykjavík v Shamrock Rovers: All you need to know

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND FIRST LEG

Víkingur Reykjavík V Shamrock Rovers, Víkingsvöllur, 7.45pm

TV

The game will be broadcast live outside of Iceland on LOITV.ie to those with a season pass. Those without a season pass can purchase a stream for the game at a cost of €10.

ONLINE

A live blog can be followed on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.

WEATHER

Those travelling to Iceland can expect temperatures of around 11 degrees, not too dissimilar to your average Irish evening at present.

Don't forget to pack your sleep mask, as the sun doesn't go down in Reykjavík until around 11.40pm at this time of year, and rises again at around 3.20am.

Fear not, most hotels will be equipped with blackout curtains in order to counter this.

THE OPPOSITION

For the second season running, Shamrock Rovers have been paired with the champions of Iceland in the Champions League first qualifying round.

Last year, the Hoops lost 1-0 at home to Breidablik before a 3-1 aggregate loss was confirmed in Iceland.

This time around, it's Víkingur Reykjavík who stand in their way as they look to win just a second Champions League tie during their spell of League of Ireland dominance.

Víkingur - or Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur to give them their full name - have won two of the last three editions of the Icelandic top flight after ending a 30-year wait for the title back in 2021.

They have won seven league titles overall and are well-placed to win an eighth, as they sit top of the table midway through the 2024 regular season.

Víkingur's recent success has been overseen by former Bolton and Leicester forward Arnar Gunnlaugsson, who took the managerial reins in 2018.

Not only has Gunnlaugsson led the team to league title success on two occasions, he has