Champions League first qualifying round: The long road to Budapest begins

There are two derbies between teams from neighbouring countries in the first qualifying round.

Dublin side Shelbourne and Belfast club Linfield meet in a rematch of the 2005 Setanta Sports Cup, the old competition between the champions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

That was also the last year Shels were in the Champions League until now – with a young Wes Hoolahan in the team.

They go into the game with a new manager in former West Ham defender Joey O’Brien after the surprise resignation of Damien Duff.

Linfield, as 57-time champions of Northern Ireland, are regulars at this stage. They are also managed by an ex-Premier League player, with former Leeds, Preston and Sunderland striker David Healy at the helm.

Their respective grounds are less than a two-hour drive apart – which for Shelbourne is a shorter journey than some league games. However, they have to stay in Belfast the night before the game because of pre-match media obligations.

Both legs of that tie will be live on the BBC Sport website and iPlayer.

The other derby is between Levadia Tallinn of Estonia and Latvian side RFS (which once stood for Riga Football School but is now their name).

They could meet again later this year if the irregularly held Livonian Cup – between the champions of Estonia and Latvia is played again.

Paulius Jakelis, head of marketing and communications at RFS, told BBC Sport: “From a travel perspective, it’s ideal – just a four-hour bus ride and we’re there.

“It means minimal travel costs, simpler planning and logistics, and much easier access for our fans.”