History will be made at Solitude on Wednesday evening as Larne take part in the Champions League for the first time on home soil. A finely-poised First Qualifying Round tie with HJK Helsinki will be decided in this 7.30pm kick-off. You can find out all you need to know in our Landmark Match Guide below.
TICKETS, TRAVEL & STREAMING
There are a limited number of tickets available for the big game. At time of writing only a handful of tickets remain for the McAlery Stand, while there is good availability in the Bowling Green End (traditionally the away end at Solitude). All tickets must be purchased online and you can do so HERE. Tickets are priced at £12 for adults and £8.
A small number of subsidised bus tickets, priced at £5, remain available. You can book yours HERE.
For those not able to make it in person, the game is being streamed via the 247 platform. The stream costs £10 and can be purchased HERE. Commentary will be provided by Joel Neill and James Cooper. Those who don’t already have one are strongly encouraged to create an account before kick-off to ensure you are not delayed in watching the game.
1889 SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB & CLUB SHOP
The 1889 will be open from 4pm for all supporters who want to call in before travelling to the match. For those unable to make it, the big match will be shown on the screens in the 1889.
The Club Shop will also be open from 5pm for those wanting to call in to make any pre-game purchases before setting off to Solitude and showing their colours at the match.
MATCH PROGRAMME
A souvenir edition of the Inver Read will be available for supporters to purchase as they arrive at the stadium on Wednesday evening. Priced at just £4, this edition will have special interviews with Tiernan Lynch, captain Tomas Cosgrove and Kenny Bruce, while Brian Craig takes us back to the summer of 1983 in his popular Inver Rewind feature.
There is also a special article previewing our visitors for the game included in the limited edition 40-page production. Make sure to grab your own piece of history before they sell out.
VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE
Another piece of history will be made at Solitude, as Larne become the first club side on Northern Irish soil to be involved in a match where the Video Assistant Referee system is in full use.
A total of six cameras will be involved in the match, with a VAR screen available for Greek referee Aristotelis Diamantopoulos, should he choose to consult it, while VAR officials scrutinise the action nearby.
OUR OPPONENTS
HJK arrive at Solitude having had a weekend off from Veikkausliiga action. That has given new boss Toni Korkeakunnas a full week to work with his new players, having been appointed the morning after the first leg in Helsinki, replacing Toni Koskela.
The first leg was decided after just three minutes, when striker Bojan Radulovic scored from the penalty spot to earn a 1-0 victory in what proved to be a tight first leg encounter.
THE INVER REDS
Larne will take heart from the performance they put in during last week’s game at the Bolt Arena. Tiernan Lynch’s side recovered well from conceding the early goal and went on to enjoy a strong second half performance. In the end they came away disappointed not have claimed a share of the spoils in the Finnish capital.
Midfielder Joe Thomson has resumed training and while new signing Levi Ives is unable to make his debut in this game he is expected to be available for the second round of which European competition Larne compete in next week.
