Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch has described Thursday's Uefa Conference League second qualifying round first leg against Croatian side HNK Rijeka as a "great opportunity" for his team. The Candystripes are returning to European competition after their Europa League qualifying campaign ended in a 5-3 aggregate defeat to CSKA Sofia, a tie also marred by crowd disturbances at the Brandywell.

Rijeka, who finished fourth in Croatia's top flight last season and reached last year's Conference League league phase, are described by Lynch as a technical, possession-based side featuring Toni Fruk, fresh from the World Cup with Croatia. The first leg kicks off at 19:45 BST, with the return fixture at the Brandywell on Thursday, 30 July. Following the trouble at the CSKA Sofia match, Derry received a suspended partial stadium closure over a two-year probation and a €20,000 (£17,000) fine, while CSKA Sofia were banned from bringing away fans to their next European fixture.