Struga vs Slovan Bratislava

SRC Biljanini Izvori is the venue as Struga and Slovan Bratislava lock horns in the return leg of their exciting Champions League qualifying tie.

Despite establishing themselves as a supreme power in North Macedonia with back-to-back league titles, Struga’s Champions League ambitions are almost dead in the water following a goal-glutted 4-2 first-leg defeat in Bratislava. While there’s still a chance for the home side to turn this tie on its head, they’d need to break their European home record even (W2, L3) to achieve an unlikely progression. However, Qatip Osmani’s team had failed to record a multi-goal margin victory at home in four consecutive games toward the end of last season (W2, D1, L1). On top of that, they’ve only won once via a two-goal margin in 11 previous continental fixtures, casting further doubt on their comeback hopes.

Meanwhile, seeking their first-ever appearance in the Champions League proper, Slovan Bratislava got their qualifying campaign off to a flying start. They’re on the verge of reaching the second qualifying round, just as they did last season when they eventually ended up in the Europa Conference League group stage. But Slovan’s recent track record on the road is unenviable, with the Sky Blues suffering three defeats on their last five continental travels (W2), alarmingly conceding 2+ goals in each loss. Adding to Vladimir Weiss’ list of concerns, his men had lost two consecutive competitive away games toward the end of the 2023/24 season, capitulating seven times in that sequence! If it’s any consolation, it’s been a year since they last failed to score in a competitive away match.