Nomme Kalju vs Shelbourne – News and Probable Lineups

Shelbourne will need to remain focused during their encounter at Nomme Kalju’s Parnu Rannastaadion on Thursday if they wish to progress to the third qualifying round of the Conference League.

The visitors from the League of Ireland secured a 5-2 victory in the first leg on July 23, yet due to the unpredictable nature of European football, Nomme Kalju should not be entirely underestimated.

Match overview

Nomme Kalju would likely have been eliminated from the competition if Enrique Esono hadn’t scored his second goal during the stoppage time of the second half.

Although several teams have managed to recover from three-goal deficits in European competitions, the home side has only once achieved scoring three goals in UEFA matches – a 4-1 victory over FK Trakai in 2016 – and they have never scored four goals in a single encounter.

Following their loss in the first leg, Nikita Andreev’s team is now without a win in their last three games, and they have struggled to secure victory in six of their last eight UEFA fixtures.

Roosad Pantrid have also encountered difficulties at home, recording three losses, two draws, and only two wins in their last seven home games, both of which were narrow 1-0 victories.

Nomme Kalju will need to improve their scoring record at Parnu Rannastaadion to have any chance of progressing, as they have only managed to score three or more goals in just one of their last 13 matches across all competitions.

Shelbourne started the first leg superbly, taking an impressive 3-0 lead by the 25th minute, and although they conceded a goal shortly before halftime, they managed to regain their three-goal lead just two minutes after the second half began.

Head coach John Russell will be pleased with his team’s performance, as this marked their second victory in three matches – he had managed just one win in his prior six matches in charge – but it is a concern that his squad remains winless across their last four away games.

The Reds competed in the league stage of the Conference League in the 2025-26 season and concluded that campaign with a record of two draws and four defeats.

Nevertheless, the visitors have triumphed in four of their last five qualifying rounds in UEFA competitions and have emerged victorious in their two most recent away fixtures during qualification.

Shelbourne have only suffered one loss in European competitions by a margin of four goals or more, and in seven Conference League qualifying matches, they have experienced a three-goal defeat only once.

Team News

Nomme Kalju is expected to start forward Enrique Esono after his impressive two-goal performance in the first leg, and he may be accompanied in the attack by Mihhail Orlov.

Modou Tambedou and Alexander Musolitin need to transition the ball quickly from midfield into the attacking line, while central defenders Maksim Podholjuzin and Roko Vukusic must be prepared to defend against large spaces if the match becomes open.

It would make sense for Shelbourne to field the same team that began the first leg, so anticipate seeing Rodrigo Freitas and Daniel Kelly feature together in the attack, particularly with Sean Boyd being suspended.

Jack Henry-Francis and Evan Caffrey both started in midfield against Nomme Kalju in the previous fixture, and there is no reason to believe they won’t feature again this time.

Goalkeeper Eddie Beach will need solid protection from his defense, likely led by Paddy Barrett and Kameron Ledwidge.

Nomme Kalju probable starting XI:

Perk; Mashchenko, Podholjuzin, Vukusic, Nikolaev; Target, Tambedou, Musolitin, Vastsuk; Orlov, Esono

Shelbourne probable starting XI:

Beach; Mbeng, Barrett, Ledwidge, Norris; Moore, Caffrey, Henry-Francis, Coote; Freitas, Kelly

With Shelbourne holding such a substantial lead, the only viable path for Nomme Kalju to claw their way back into the tie is through aggressive play.

Yet, this approach may leave the hosts vulnerable to counter-attacks, and if the visitors capitalize on these chances, it wouldn’t be surprising if they secured another victory.