Lincoln Red Imps to face Northern Ireland side Larne in Thursday's play-offs

Lincoln Red Imps next play Northern Ireland side Larne at the Europa Sports Stadium this Thursday, August 20, with kick-off at 18:00hrs.

This will be a crucial encounter for Lincoln Red Imps, the first leg in the UEFA Conference League play-offs, which will decide who goes through to the league stage of the competition.

Lincoln Red Imps have previously faced Larne. In 2024, Larne were to first play against Lincoln Red Imps in the same round, with the first leg played in Faro. A victory for Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg was quickly cancelled out in Northern Ireland, with Larne walking away with a 4-3 aggregate victory.

The Gibraltar side will be looking not to make the same mistakes as they seek a second consecutive season in the league phase of the Conference League, and their third if they can get past the play-off hurdle.

Larne arrive at the play-offs having followed a similar path to Lincoln Red Imps. Their Champions League campaign started with two straight wins over Tre Fiori, winning 1-0 away and then 2-1 at home.

In the next round of the Champions League, they faced two heavy defeats at the hands of Crvena Zvezda, losing 4-0 at home and 5-0 away.

Dropping into the Europa League, they faced Iberia, where a scoreless first leg at home was followed by a 2-1 defeat away.

Among the key players for Larne is Gibraltar international Dan Bent, who makes a return to the Europa Sports Stadium, where he formerly played for Lincoln Red Imps and also wore the Gibraltar shirt. This will be something of a second home for the player.

Things have, however, changed since Bent last played for Lincoln Red Imps, with new head coach Javier Pavón already setting a new era at the club.

Although still playing very much below the standards the club has set itself in the past, Lincoln Red Imps have proven themselves to be a very difficult team to score against.

Their 3-1 win against IC Escaldes was followed by a 1-1 draw away from home in the second leg.

The biggest deficit Lincoln have conceded came in the first leg of the second round in the Champions League against Swedish champions Mjällby. The Swedes, debutants in the competition and playing their first-ever European club competition match, had the full support of their home fans as they put three goals past Lincoln Red Imps. The Swedes were unable to add to their tally in the second round.

Lincoln's next encounter again saw the Imps show their solidity at the back, conceding only towards the end of the match at home in a 1-1 draw before conceding just the solitary goal, again in front of a hostile crowd in Cyprus.

Larne, considered very much on a par with Lincoln Red Imps, will prove a difficult side to face, although the Imps will be more than a match for them.

Victory in this round will secure a place in the lucrative league phase of the competition, which is ultimately the main focus of Lincoln Red Imps' European campaign this summer.