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Sports Mole previews Thursday's Conference League clash between Vaduz and Dungannon Swifts, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Dreaming of a place in the Conference League's league phase, Liechtenstein's Vaduz are set to host Northern Ireland's Dungannon Swifts for the first leg of their second qualifying round tie on Thursday.

Residenzler will be desperate to end their five-game winless run in midweek, while the Swifts will be looking for an eighth victory from their last nine matches.

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Match preview

Marc Schneider's Vaduz are a second-division club, but they managed to reach this stage by winning the 2024-25 Liechtensteiner Cup.

Since the conclusion of the Challenge League, in which Residenzler finished sixth, the hosts have played a number of friendlies to prepare for their European tie.

However, Schneider's side have struggled in recent weeks, and after losing 1-0 to Munich 1860 on Saturday, they have now tasted defeat in four of their last five matches.

In last year's Conference League second qualifying round, the hosts were eliminated by Ireland's St Patrick's Athletic 5-3 on aggregate, following a 2-2 draw in the first leg and a 3-1 loss in the return fixture.

Hoping to take the lead on Thursday and go one stage further this time around, Vaduz will need to defy their dire continental record that features four draws and six defeats from their 10 most recent European games.

Meanwhile, Rodney McAree's Dungannon qualified for this round by winning the Irish Cup in 2024-25, beating Cliftonville 4-3 on penalties to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

In contrast to their opponents, the Swifts have won three of their four friendly matches since the league season ended, as well as seven of their last eight clashes overall.

That being said, McAree's men are extremely inexperienced in UEFA competition, and this tie will be just their third foray into Europe, and their first since their failed qualification attempt in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup.

Keen to see their side bring an advantage back to County Tyrone, fans of the visitors will take heart from the fact that they have lost on only three occasions when playing as the nominal away team in 2025.

Victory on Thursday would represent just the second time that Dungannon have won a continental match, and they would be delighted to take a lead to protect into the home leg.

Vaduz friendly form:

L D L

Dungannon Swifts form (all competitions):

W L

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Team News

Vaduz will see this tie as a golden opportunity due to their opponents' inexperience, so expect to see Marcel Monsberger, Fabrizio Cavegn and Stephan Seiler start in the frontline on Thursday.

In the centre of the park, Mischa Eberhard should be joined by Ruben Dantas Fernandes and Dominik Schwizer once again, after the trio ran out against 1860 Munchen on Saturday.

As for Dungannon, goalkeeper Declan Dunne will be desperate to avoid conceding during his side's first European clash in 18 years, though he will need the likes of Steven Scott and Daniel Wallace to be at their best in the backline.

Elsewhere, boss McAree will be hoping that forwards Leonel Alves and Tomas Galvin can fire the Swifts in front ahead of the home leg, though it will be hard to earn their second ever European win.

Vaduz possible starting lineup:

Schaffran; Mack, Beeli, Berisha, Simani; Eberhard, Fernandes, Schwizer; Monsberger, Cavegn, Seiler

Dungannon Swifts possible starting lineup:

Dunne; Scott, Maguire, Wallace, Glenny; Bigirimana, Knowles, Dillon; Alves, Galvin, Mitchell

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We say: Vaduz 1-1 Dungannon Swifts

 

Vaduz have struggled for results since the league season ended, but their record in competitive matches suggests that they could avoid defeat in midweek.

Additionally, the hosts have significantly more European experience than Dungannon, and they could be better-positioned to handle the occasion as a result.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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