Larne will make their Champions League debut on Wednesday evening when they face Finnish champions HJK Helsinki at the Bolt Arena, kick-off 5pm.

This might be Tiernan Lynch's side maiden appearance in Europe's premier competition but they have been no strangers to the continental stage in recent seasons.

Making their debut as recently as 2021, Larne won four of their six Conference League games against Bala Town, AGF Aarhus and Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira although they failed to reach the same heights a year later when they exited at the first hurdle to Gibraltar's St. Joseph's.

Larne have strengthened their panel over the summer, bringing in Aidan Dowling (Blackburn Rovers), Ali Omar (Torquay United) and Isaac Westendorf (Newcastle United) as well as Craig Farquhar and Corey Smith from Ballymena United and Dungannon Swifts respectively.

Their opponents go into the tie midway through their domestic campaign, currently third in the Veikkausliiga and not having won in their past three outings.

Managed by Toni Koskela, HJK's defence could revolve around Finnish internationals Miro Tenho, Matti Peltola and Jukka Raitala. In midfield Pyry Soiri, Lucas Lingman and Atomu Tanaka will hope to control things while, up front, they will be looking to Bojan Rudulovic to add to his goal tally this season having already found the net ten times in 13 outings.

Last season HJK reached the group stages of the Europa League but disappointed by picking up just a point in their six games against Real Betis, AS Roma and Bulgarian's Ludogorets.

The return will take place at Solitude next Wednesday evening (19th July), kick-off 7:30pm.