Liam Buckley reckons Shamrock Rovers can cause a Euro upset tomorrow night in Belgium.
The Hoops are away to top seeds Gent in what is, on paper, their toughest tie of the Europa Conference League group stages.
Buckley, a former Rovers player and manager, starred for Belgian side Waragem when they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1985/86.
READ MORE: Jack Byrne says Shamrock Rovers must improve European away form as they prepare for Gent test
He has kept an eye on the Belgian game since then - and has paid even closer attention to his old side Rovers.
And he said: “From Shamrock Rovers’ point of view, I believe they have a chance against them.
“The Belgian league would be a step up from where we are at, because of the finances.
“Gent probably would have spent over €10m last year on new players and we wouldn’t be spending anything like that over here.
“And that includes Rovers, who are the best resourced team here.
“That said, Shamrock Rovers are the best team here. They will have a chance because they keep the ball well.
“But they are going to have to play well, because it’s a real step up when you are playing teams at this level.
“Teams like Gent, they want to get through the group stages. When you see the type of money they are spending, it has to come from somewhere.
“So the more successful they are in Europe, the more they can build.
“But Shamrock Rovers are one of the best teams here and they do hold onto the ball well; Stephen Bradley has them playing a good brand of football.
“So I’d expect them to go okay against them.
“They definitely won’t be overwhelmed. They certainly shouldn’t be.”
Gent parachuted into the Europa Conference League after they lost their Europa League play-off to Neil Lennon’s Omonia.
Last year they reached the last-32 of the Conference League, only to lose both legs to Greek side PAOK.
“We saw how Bohemians did against PAOK (winning at home, but losing 3-2 on aggregate),” said former Ireland international Buckley. “That gives you a bit of a feel for where they are at.
“That said, it will be a tough game. You wouldn’t expect anything else in the group stages.
“But the Belgian league is a funny one. When I was there, Standard Liege, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, they were all the top teams.
“Anderlecht have gone down a little bit, Standard Liege are still up there and Waragem are down the bottom end of it.
“Looking at the league table (Gent are fifth after eight matches), you’d have to think Rovers would have a chance.”
Buckley’s Waragem ruffled a few feathers when they progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup nearly 40 years ago.
They beat Danish side Aarhus, AC Milan, Osasuna and Hajduk Split on their way to the last-four, where they were eliminated by Koln, who lost to Real Madrid in the final.
“That was the first time Waragem qualified for Europe,” Buckley recalled.
“I was sort of wondering if we’d get through a round or two, but fortunately enough we did particularly well.
“We had a lot of really talented footballers in our group. We kept possession of the ball and that was the key to it.
“For Waragem to reach the semi-finals was a fantastic run.”
Buckley then managed Rovers in Europe against Djurgardens in 2002 and against Odra Wodzislaw and Slovan Liberec a year later.
“Rovers will have a chance against Gent,” he continued. “I thought they played particularly well last week against Djurgardens.
“The first-half they were better, but in the second half Shamrock Rovers were better.
“They have the resources to be the best in this country on and off the pitch. And with due respect to Stephen Bradley, he has done a tremendous job with them.
“They do have a brand. They are the one team that do have a style about them and it’s a fine style. It’s based on ball retention.
“All the best teams are the ones that play well together and who have a defined style.
“Shamrock Rovers have had that for the last three or four years. They are playing the way Stephen wants them to play and that’s why they are so difficult to beat.
“They have signed in some terrific players, which helps.
“But they are the benchmark. They are a joy to watch and I like watching them.
“It will be interesting to see how they do against Gent. But they do have a chance.”
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