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Linfield boss David Healy has said it would be “wrong” to play on any derby element in his side’s Champions League qualifying tie against Shelbourne.<\/b><\/p>\n
The former Northern Ireland striker brings his Irish Premiership champions to Dublin to face their League of Ireland equivalents, Shelbourne, on Wednesday night before the return in Belfast a week later.<\/p>\n
Both legs of the tie will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website and app.<\/p>\n
“It’s certainly not talked about north v south, that would be wrong of\u00a0me to do that,” said Healy.<\/p>\n
“You have to play with a little bit of passion, a little bit of fire, but you also have to control that emotion.<\/p>\n
“Like any European game, anything reckless, anything silly, will be punished, so play with ice in your veins and make sure we stay fully focused for 90 minutes.”<\/p>\n
With Linfield provided with fewer than 300 of the approximately 3,500 tickets available for the game at Tolka Park, Healy is expecting Shelbourne fans to produce a stirring atmosphere in support of their side.<\/p>\n
“It’s going to be electric, Shelbourne have a really good crowd backing them,” he said.<\/p>\n
“With the way the atmosphere is going to be, one thing you don’t want to be doing is chasing the game, or going behind and then facing an onslaught.”<\/p>\n
Having won the Irish Premiership by 22 points last season, Linfield return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.<\/p>\n
Larne, who lifted the Gibson Cup in 2022-23 and 2023-24 made the league phase of the Conference League last season with the Blues looking to match the feat of European progression after some near misses in recent years.<\/p>\n
They were beaten by FK Qarabag only on away goals<\/a> in the Europa League in 2019, before going down on penalties<\/a> to RFS in the Conference League three years later.<\/p>\n “I think that’s the club’s end-goal, of course,” said Healy.<\/p>\n “Financially it would be huge for the club. We’re self-sustainable, we have no outside investment apart from what we bring in.<\/p>\n “European finance is huge for us.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n