All You Need To Know About The European Play-offs

With nan Irish Premiership and Irish Cup now done and dusted, nan extremity of play European play-offs return centre stage.

Four teams will compete for nan 4th and last European spot connected connection to Irish Premiership sides.

The past 4 ties return spot connected Wednesday (both 19:45 BST), pinch Glentoran hosting Cliftonville astatine nan Oval and Coleraine taking connected Crusaders astatine nan Showgrounds.

The BBC Sport website will supply unrecorded matter updates and in-play clips for some semi-finals, while Sunday's last (14:00) will beryllium streamed connected nan BBC iPlayer and website.

BBC Sport NI takes a look astatine really each 4 sides are shaping up ahead of nan 2 semi-finals.

Glentoran will consciousness that they should not beryllium successful nan position of having to navigate nan play-offs having spent nan mostly of nan play successful 2nd place.

However, a tally of conscionable 3 wins from their past 10 convention games resulted successful Declan Devine's broadside being pipped to 2nd and automatic European qualification by Larne connected nan past time of nan play aft nan 2 sides drew 0-0.

That goalless tie astatine Inver Park won't unrecorded agelong successful nan memory, but nan brawl that collapsed retired aft nan crippled surely will and nan ramifications will effect Devine's squad action for nan semi-final against Cliftonville.

Winger Dylan Connolly has been suspended for 12 matches whilst Fuad Sule and Christie Pattisson, person been suspended for 9 matches each.

Joe Thomson will besides beryllium missing owed to an accumulation of yellowish cards.

Devine tin still telephone upon cardinal striker Jordan Jenkins, who netted 12 convention goals, including a stunning onslaught successful a 1-0 triumph against Cliftonville successful August.

The Glens person won 2 of nan 4 meetings betwixt nan 2 sides this season, pinch some of those victories coming astatine home.

Cliftonville will person to move connected quickly from their heartbreaking Irish Cup last conclusion against Dungannon Swifts connected Saturday arsenic they look to unafraid European shot erstwhile again.

The punishment shootout nonaccomplishment will wounded nan Reds, who were aiming for back-to-back Irish Cup wins and a spot successful nan Uefa Conference League 2nd qualifying information that winning nan title brings.

Instead, they must spell done nan play-offs, thing they person succeeded astatine earlier having won nan play-off last 3 times.

It will, however, beryllium difficult for Jim Magilton to prime his broadside up mentally and physically fixed truthful galore players lasted nan afloat 120 minutes.

They are group to beryllium without guardant Alex Parsons, who came connected successful nan 2nd half astatine Windsor Park connected Saturday, only to spell disconnected soon aft pinch what looked for illustration an limb injury.

The Reds will beryllium underdogs against nan Glens, having vanished seventh during a dismal convention run successful which they won conscionable six distant games.

Magilton's broadside did hit nan Glens astatine Solitude successful February and successful nan BetMcLean League Cup last acknowledgment to Joe Gormley's extra-time goal.

Wednesday's location semi-final will beryllium a baptism of occurrence for caller leader Ruaidhri Higgins, who takes complaint of Coleraine for nan first clip against Crusaders.

Higgins was only appointed past Friday, succeeding Dean Shiels who guided nan Bannsiders to 5th successful his sole play successful charge.

The erstwhile Derry City head will dream to deed nan crushed moving by masterminding Coleraine's first triumph against nan Crues astatine nan sixth effort this play and arguably erstwhile it matters most.

Crusaders person inflicted plentifulness of misery connected Coleraine this play and past arsenic nan Bannsiders were beaten by nan Crues successful past year's play-off final.

The hosts will beryllium without skipper Lyndon Kane for nan crunch brushwood aft he sustained a play ending enarthrosis wounded successful nan 3-0 convention nonaccomplishment astatine Seaview a fortnight ago.

Jamie McGonigle will beryllium disposable having returned from his ain wounded lay-off against Linfield whilst Levi Ives has resumed training, but Conor Murray is simply a doubt.

Matthew Shevlin erstwhile again vanished arsenic apical extremity scorer successful nan convention pinch 20 goals and Higgins will dream nan striker is fresh and firing astatine nan Showgrounds.

Despite finishing sixth, a spot beneath Coleraine successful nan convention table, Crusaders travel into this crippled pinch nan much favourable grounds successful position of fixtures betwixt nan 2 teams.

Declan Caddell's broadside person won each 5 meetings against Coleraine successful each competitions this season.

They besides hit Coleraine successful past year's play-off last astatine Seaview arsenic Jordan Owens scored an injury-time victor to thief nan northbound Belfast broadside to a 3-2 triumph successful Stephen Baxter's last home crippled successful charge.

If nan Crues are capable to repetition nan feat this twelvemonth and triumph different play-off last to unafraid European shot it would beryllium a bully first twelvemonth successful complaint for Caddell.

His side, for illustration galore this season, struggled for consistency successful nan convention and were deed by Kieran Offord's departure to Linfield successful January aft his agleam commencement to life for nan Hatchetmen.

They will beryllium boosted by nan return of Jordan Stewart for nan semi-final aft he missed nan past 3 convention games aft being sent disconnected against Larne.