Larne made a more than decent fist of things in their Europa League third qualifying round first leg against Georgian outfit FC Iberia 1999, but Gary Haveron's side couldn't gain an all-important advantage to bring to Tbilisi for the reverse fixture on Tuesday.
The Inver Reds may ultimately live to regret their failure to score on their own patch, as they bid to secure a possible glamour Europa League tie against Scottish Premiership side Rangers or Jagellonia Bialystock of Poland in the next round.
FC Iberia 1999 v Larne Tips Summary
Best Bet - FC Iberia 1999 to win @ 3/5
Alternative Bet - Over 2.5 goals @ 11/10
Bet Builder - FC Iberia 1999 Half-Time/Full-Time, FC Iberia 1999 to score in both halves & Both teams to score - Yes @ 15/2
FC Iberia 1999 v Larne Prediction
Best Bet: FC Iberia 1999 to win @ 3/5
Larne frustrated their Georgian visitors at Inver Park in East Antrim last week for long spells but Haveron's side couldn't get their hands on the elusive goal needed to bring an advantage to Tbilisi.
Matthew Lusty, Ronan Doherty, Tomas Cosgrove and Sean Graham all had chances for the home side but Giorgi Makaridze in the visiting goal was equal to them.
Nikoloz Dadiani's free kick was about as close as FC Iberia 1999 came to breaking the deadlock.
It could be a different tale this time around. The Georgians lost last month's UEFA Champions League qualifier 3-1 on aggregate against Slovan Bratislava but they were perhaps deserving of more given how they played over the two legs.
Previous to that, they had beaten Estonian champions Flora 5-4 on aggregate in the opening round.
Larne were thumped 9-0 on aggregate by Crvena Zvezda at the same stage after beating Tre Fiori of San Marino 3-1 on aggregate – aided by the visitors going to nine men in the second leg.
Previous owner Kenny Bruce took over when Larne were a struggling Championship side in September 2017 but they have scaled a mountain since, winning multiple domestic titles and securing European group/league-stage football in 2024/25.
Arguably the chance to bring Rangers to Inver Park would be the biggest occasion in Larne's history – though the Glasgow side have a deficit to turn around against Jagellonia Bialystock at Ibrox first. Larne are unlikely to hold up their end of the bargain in Georgia.
Alternative Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 11/10
The first leg ended without a goal but this second game in Georgia can make amends.
Over 2.5 goals was a winning bet in three of Larne's previous four European games this season before the first leg, while four of FC Iberia 1999's last six games in European and domestic action have featured at least three goals.
Should the home side get an advantage, Haveron's team will have no other option but to chase the game. The Reds were breached nine times over two legs by Red Star in their previous tie and more goals can flow now.
FC Iberia 1999 v Larne Bet Builder Tip
FC Iberia 1999 Half-Time/Full-Time
FC Iberia 1999 to score in both halves
Both teams to score
Pays 15/2
Larne made the running in the first leg at Inver Park but the first-half chances missed by Lusty, Doherty, Cosgrove and Graham meant they could never grab this tie by the scruff of the neck.
The impetus will be on the home side again in Tbilisi and FC Iberia 1999 can grab a first-half lead against a Larne side that has been behind at half-time in two of their last three games.
They have also conceded in both halves in the two games prior to meeting the Georgians last week.
Larne did show enough in the first leg to believe they can be a threat and Iberia had gone six games without a clean sheet before the first leg so having both teams to score now can enhance this bet builder.
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Key Match Stats
Both teams have scored in five of FC Iberia 1999's last seven games
Over 2.5 goals was a winning bet in four of those seven games
Larne conceded nine goals over two legs in the UEFA Champions League qualifying loss against Crvena Zvezda
There were seven corners in the first leg, Larne edging that verdict 4-3
Larne played in the Conference League league phase in 2024/25; FC Iberia 1999 have never competed beyond the qualifying rounds
The winners of this tie will face either Rangers or Jagellonia Bialystock next
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
