Linfield: Who are The New Saints’ Champions League opponents?

Linfield, the champions of Northern Ireland, will face TNS in the Champions League First Qualifying round.

There’s no doubt that any meeting between two home nations’ sides turns heads, but when it’s in Europe’s premier competition, the stakes are even higher.

The Saints will be hoping that they can get to the second qualifying round for the first time since 2019, but Linfield will provide a stern test for Anthony Limbrick’s men.

History

Linfield were founded in 1886 in the southern region of Belfast by the workers of the Ulster Spinning Company’s Linfield Mill.

The original intention was that only mill workers would be allowed to play for the team, but the idea was scrapped early on, and Linfield wanted to make the best team possible.

In the 1921-22 season, the club famously won all seven domestic trophies that were available to them, the first Northern Irish team to do so.

While they enjoyed many years of winning trophies, the late 50s-early 60s were a golden era for Linfield.

1957 saw the arrival of Newcastle United legend Jackie Milburn as player-manager. Milburn’s arrival caused a huge upturn in attendances, and the Belfast Telegraph labelled it as the ‘signing of the century’.

After Milburn left in 1960, the club appointed Isaac McDowell, and in the 1961-62 season, he repeated the achievements of forty years ago by winning all seven domestic competitions.

Linfield have continued to win trophy after trophy since, with manager Roy Coyle winning a staggering 31 trophies between 1975 and 1990, and David Jeffrey winning the same number of honours between 1997 and 2014.

In total, Linfield have won 153 senior championships, including 56 Irish League Championships and 44 Irish Cups.

Stadium

Linfield play their home games at Windsor Park. They’ve played at Windsor Park since 1905 and it’s the biggest stadium in the country. Since the redevelopment in 2016, the stadium can now hold a total of 18,500.

Manager

Their manager is no other than Northern Ireland legend David Healy.

Healy had an illustrious playing career, playing for the likes of Preston, Leeds, and Rangers. But it’s in Northern Ireland where is most fondly remembered, memorably scoring a winning goal against England in 2005.

Linfield is Healy’s first foray into management, and he’s taken to it like a duck to water. He’s won the NIFL Premiership five times, the Irish Cup twice, and has been named Northern Ireland manager of the year on four occasions.

Players to Watch

The midfield looks to be a strong area for Linfield.

Captain Jamie Mulgrew is as experienced as they come. At the age of 36, he has been with Linfield since 2005, making 661 appearances for the club so far. He has seen and done everything in the Northern Irish game.

Chris Shields is another who has major experience at the top level. Before joining Linfield in 2021, he spent nine years with Irish side Dundalk. He helped to guide Dundalk to the group stages of the Europa League back in the 2020-21 season. If Linfield are to get to a European group stage, these two veterans will be incredibly important.

Their top scorer last season was Christy Manzinga who scored 17 goals in 26 matches. Manzinga though has opted to depart the club in the last week or so, joining Hungarian outfit Zalaegerszegi.

In the off-season, they have signed four players with Robbie McDaid signed from Glentoran, whilst Joel Cooper has joined Oxford United. Cooper made eight appearances in the Football League last year for both Oxford and Port Vale, racking up 317 minutes.

Chris McKee and Danny Finlayson who were playing in Scotland last season have joined on a free transfer and a loan from St Mirren respectively.

European Pedigree

With the sheer number of titles amassed by Linfield, they have been regular competitors in European competitions.

The furthest point they’ve reached is the playoff round of the Europa League in the 2019/20 season, where they lost to Azerbaijani side Qarabag on away goals.

Last season, they reached the third qualifying round of the Conference League but were disappointingly defeated 4-2 by Fola Esch of Luxembourg. They will certainly be hoping to go further in Europe this time round.

(Featured Image: Florian Christoph)