Egnatia vs Borac Banja Luka

Albanian minnows Egnatia will look to overturn a narrow deficit when they take on Borac Banja Luka in the return leg of their Champions League qualifying tie at Elbasan Arena.

Following a dreadful three-game warm-up campaign (D1, L2), Egnatia should’ve considered themselves lucky for only losing 1-0 in the first leg, considering they conceded 15 shots and attempted just two. Returning to the tail-end of last season, Edlir Tetova’s men have only won once in six (D2, L2), friendlies included, casting further doubt on their hopes of turning this tie on its head. Still relatively new to European football, the Albanians have only featured in three UEFA competition fixtures and are still waiting for their first triumph (D2, L1). But they can draw confidence from finding the net in both previous European contests before slumping to a loss in Banja Luka.

Meanwhile, Borac Banja Luka’s recent track record in the opening qualifying round for a major continental tournament looks promising, as they’ve advanced into the next stage twice in their last three attempts. Unlike their hosts, Mladen Zizovic’s men can draw further confidence from winning three consecutive matches in the build-up to this trip. However, there’s a significant downside. The Bosnians have lost six of their seven away games in European football this century (D1), never scoring more than once. On top of that, their recent travel sickness has seen them lose two of their last three competitive outings on the road (W1).