Football Bet of the Day: Back Shels to win local showdown

• Linfield only just starting their season

• Shelbourne well into their campaign, and dominated first leg

• Back visitors Draw No Bet at nearly evens

Linfield v Shelbourne
Wednesday 16 July, 19:45

Albanian champions Egnatia crumbled under the pressure of a Champions League qualifier last night, and they took us down with them, losing 4-0 to Icelandic side Breidablik. We move on swiftly.

We're heading to Northern Ireland now, because it's a clash between NI champions Linfield and Shelbourne, who won the Irish Premier last season. Shelbourne lead 1-0 from the first leg after a largely dominant display.

A lot has happened since Shelbourne won that league title. Their title defence has proven tricky, with the Dublin side a massive 14 points off top spot. Title-winning manager Damien Duff has recently left the club, citing a lack of motivation from his players as the chief reason.

However, it's worth bearing in mind that Shelbourne are 25 games into their league season, while Linfield's campaign is only just beginning. That difference in sharpness was there for all to see last week, as Shelbourne outshot Linfield 14-2, and the visitors managed just one attempt on target.

Linfield have never qualified for the group stage of a European tournament, and turning this tie around is a tough ask. Despite their recent change of manager (assistant Joey O'Brien has stepped up), Shelbourne looked strong last week, and in-form forward Mipo Odubeko has scored in his last three games.

I'll back Shelbourne Draw No Bet here at 1.981/1.

Now read Kev's Euro 2025 Sweden v England preview here!