Mura vs Shkendija

Shkendija head to the Mestni Stadion Fazanerija to take on Mura in the return leg of their Champions League qualifying tie, hoping to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Despite failing to win any of their last five warm-up fixtures (D2, L3), Mura eked out a narrow first-leg win to come on the cusp of securing a place in the next qualifying round. If considering just competitive matches, the Slovenians are unbeaten in eight games in a row (W6, D2), a sequence that saw them notch up over 1.5 goals on six occasions. Additionally, the ‘Black and Whites’ have netted 2+ goals in each of their last four competitive home matches (W3, D1), keeping a first-half clean sheet three times in the process. Remarkably, Ante Simundza’s men have not lost any of their last 12 home games in all competitions (W6, D6) since going down 1-0 to domestic opponents Olimpija Ljubljana in November 2020.

In the meantime, Shkendija’s three-match winning streak in the off-season campaign suffered a setback in the reverse fixture, which was the sixth consecutive competitive game in which they failed to keep a clean sheet. Despite their recent form wobble, the visitors have been fun to watch away from home lately, with their last two competitive road trips seeing both teams score at least three goals in matches garnering over 6.5 total strikes (W2). What’s more, the ‘Red and Blacks’ have racked up a solid ten-game unbeaten away streak in all competitions (W8, D2) since losing to Sileks via penalties in November 2020. Indeed, they have won their last five competitive road trips in a row, netting over 2.5 goals on each occasion.