Linfield's Shelbourne Rematch 'silly' - Shields

Linfield midfielder Chris Shields says it is "a spot silly" that nan Blues and Shelbourne will meet for a 2nd clip successful European qualification this season.

The clubs met successful Champions League qualifying successful July, pinch nan League of Ireland champions winning 2-1 connected aggregate, earlier nan Dublin broadside mislaid to Qarabag and Rijeka successful consequent qualifiers to driblet down into a Conference League playoff.

After that conclusion to Shels, Linfield negotiated ties against Lithuania's Zalgiris and Vikingur of nan Faroe Islands, mounting up a winner-takes-all rematch betwixt nan teams for a spot successful nan group phase.

The first limb will return spot astatine Shelbourne's location crushed of Tolka Park connected Thursday (19:45 BST) pinch nan return astatine Windsor Park to travel nan adjacent week, but Shields believes nan rematch is inconsistent erstwhile compared to really Uefa organise their group formats.

"It's a norm Uefa could spell astir tweaking," Shields told Sportsound connected BBC Radio Ulster.

"To play nan aforesaid squad doubly successful a six-week play is simply a spot silly.

"When you look astatine nan caller format of nan group stages successful nan Champions League and each of nan different European competitions, you don't play anyone doubly anymore, truthful really are we playing nan aforesaid squad 4 times successful specified a short space?"

The 34-year-old Dubliner has erstwhile group shape acquisition successful Europe pinch Dundalk successful 2016 and 2020 and said it would beryllium "the pinnacle" for a batch of nan squad should nan Blues move nan tables connected nan League of Ireland champions this clip around.

"The likes of Jamie Mulgrew, Kirk Millar... It's Kirk's testimonial twelvemonth this year, truthful nary much fitting twelvemonth to get into nan group stage," he said.

"People who've been astatine nan nine a agelong time, David (Healy) nan head for a agelong clip and (kit manager) Gary Eccles present for 41 years - it would beryllium bully for these group to get to nan group stage."

Shields missed nan first limb of nan Champions League qualifier astatine Tolka Park successful July owed to suspension but is disposable for Thursday's return to Dublin which could spot him make his 60th quality successful European competition.

That crippled was Linfield's first competitory fixture of nan caller run pinch Shelbourne midway done their ain home play and Shields is hopeful nan "minutes successful nan legs" since will put nan Blues successful a amended position this clip around.

"We're decidedly amended prepared," he added.

"We've had six European matches and each 1 of them were reliable and challenging matches [that] you are ne'er going to get pinch a friendly, positive nan Dungannon (league) crippled past weekend.

"We've nan minutes successful nan legs and nan bodies are successful a acold amended position going into this information than nan first information erstwhile we met them. The chartless is retired nan model arsenic we are acquainted pinch really Shelbourne play and we're much acquainted pinch really we play since going into nan past one."