Bohemians have confirmed that they'll play their Europa League qualifying tie at the Aviva Stadium next month rather than their own ground, should they be drawn at home.
The north Dublin club normally play their home games at Dalymount Park, but they will be playing a few miles south of the Liffey after reaching an agreement with the FAI.
The Gypsies will learn their fate on August 10th when the draw for the first qualifying round takes place. They've qualified for the Europa League competition along with Derry City and FAI Cup winners Shamrock Rovers after finishing third in the Premier Division of the SSE Airtricity League in 2019.
The now ten-year-old Aviva Stadium hosted the final of the competition in 2011, while Dundalk also played a Champions League qualifier there in 2016.
Qualifiers for both the Champions League and Europa League this season will be a single game each rather than the usual two-legged home and away format. This is due to a backlog on the football calendar through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game will take place behind closed doors on August 27th, with the club confirming today that no supporters can attend the match, due to COVID-19 and UEFA protocols
"Hosting a potential home tie at a modern and spacious world class facility would allow the club to maintain the absolute maximum levels of health and safety measures in line with UEFA Covid-19 European football protocols," Bohemians said in a statement.
“The club wishes to express its thanks to the FAI for facilitating this,”
As it currently stands in the SSE Airtricity League, Shamrock Rovers top the league undefeated on 15 points, with Dundalk second on 12 points followed by Bohemians on nine points.
Although they did not make their first appearance in a European competition until 1970, Bohemians, like all Irish clubs, found the going tough in Europe.
Their finest hour came when they eliminated Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen from the UEFA Cup in August 2000.
The last time Bohemians were in a European qualifier was in 2012 where they were eliminated in the first round to Icelandic side Akureyri on a aggregated score of 5-1.
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