Stjarnan have won just two UEFA qualifying matches since 2015
Linfield last reached the finals of a major tournament in 1994
This is the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides
First leg to leave everything to play for in draw
Stjarnan have had a tricky time of things domestically in the Icelandic Besta deild karla, with Jökull I Elísabetarson’s men currently sixth in the table after 14 games, and the hosts could struggle to make home advantage count when they take on Linfield on Thursday.
The Icelandic outfit have won just two of their last eight matches in all competitions and they have lost 13 of their last 16 UEFA qualifying matches – with the only outliers being home victories over Estonian sides Nomme Kalju and FCI Levadia as well as a 1-1 draw at home to Irish side Bohemians last season.
Linfield have a better European record than Stjarnan with this being their 142nd match in UEFA competitions. However, they have only won 29 of these and ended last season with five draws from their final six matches in all competitions.
A low-scoring encounter could be in store in this first leg but both sides have shown their ability in front of goal in recent competitive fixtures. Each of Stjarnan’s last two matches have ended 1-1 after regular time while the same is true for Linfield’s last three competitive matches and another 1-1 draw looks a tempting propostion.
