Slovenian side Celje host Cypriot outfit APOEL in the first leg of their Conference League knockout playoff on Thursday evening.
Having secured their place in the playoffs on goal difference as an unseeded team in the final match of the league phase, the hosts will be looking to gain the advantage in the tie ahead of the return leg next week in Nicosia.
Match preview
© Imago
Celje have struggled on their travels in the Conference League this season, as the hosts lost all three of their away matches in the league phase.
Two wins and a draw on their own turf were enough to help secure a spot in the playoffs, as Albert Riera's side beat The New Saints 3-2 in December to ensure that they would be playing European football in the new year.
The hosts are winless in their last four matches in the Slovenian PrvaLiga and they come into this game having suffered defeat in both matches that they have played since returning from their winter break earlier this month.
Their latest defeat came at home to Maribor at the weekend, as the hosts lost 2-1 against the side that are currently second in the division.
Having lifted the title under the guidance of Damir Krznar last season, Celje have disappointed domestically, as the decision to reappoint Riera has so far failed to pay off, with Grofje currently 14 points off the top of the table in the PrvaLiga in fifth position.
Although the results have been underwhelming this year, the hosts have certainly been entertaining to watch in the Conference League, with both 13 goals scored and 13 goals conceded during the league phase.
Celje have experience of facing Cypriot opposition earlier in the season, having played Pafos in the league phase back in November - a game that they lost 2-0.
However, they will be looking to protect their unbeaten home record in the competition on Thursday night, and they will hope that they can take a lead with them into the return leg next week in Cyprus.
![APOEL's Max Meyer during UEFA Champions league qualifying match against SK Slovan Bratislava on August 7, 2024 [on August 20, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/max-meyer.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "APOEL's Max Meyer during UEFA Champions league qualifying match against SK Slovan Bratislava on August 7, 2024 [on August 20, 2024]")
© Imago
Meanwhile, the visitors have had a similarly frustrating campaign to their hosts, as like Celje, APOEL won the title last season, but find themselves in fifth place.
Their title hopes for this year appear to have faded, as they find themselves 18 points behind leaders Pafos in the domestic league standings - the same side that ended APOEL's hopes of lifting the Cypriot Cup last month by knocking them out on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Their season has been chaotic in the dugout too, with the club already on their third manager of this campaign following the departure of Ricardo Sa Pinto in the summer.
Both David Gallego and Jose Dominguez had brief spells in charge this season, but the Cypriot club seem to have finally settled on Manolo Jimenez as a suitable successor.
Their disappointment in the league could well be a result of the quick and constant changes of management throughout the year - but with one win in their last five in all competitions, the Conference League may be a welcome distraction for the visitors.
In Europe, APOEL only missed out on an automatic place in the knockout rounds on goal difference, and they can count themselves a little unfortunate not to have made it through.
The Cypriot champions only lost once in the league phase of the competition, with three wins and two draws not quite enough to get them over the line.
The highlight of their league phase was undoubtedly their 2-1 triumph against Fiorentina in November, with goals from Anastasios Donis and David Abagna securing the victory against a side that have finished runners-up in this competition in the past two seasons.
Having already proven that they are capable of mixing it with the big boys in this competition, APOEL will have reason to believe they have a chance of going far in the Conference League.
The first task for Jimenez and his team though, is to ensure that there are no slip-ups in Slovenia on Thursday, before they can even think about the latter stages of the competition.
The visitors were unbeaten away from home during the league phase of the competition, and they will want to maintain this record on Thursday night to give themselves a strong chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
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Team News
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The hosts will be without right-back Nejc Ajhmajer, who is a long-term absentee as he recovers from knee surgery.
The Slovenian side have also lost defender David Zec since they last played in the Conference League, as he completed a move to Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel in the winter transfer window.
Meanwhile, the visitors will have to cope without midfielder Giannis Satsias, who is suspended following his red card against Astana back in December.
Veteran striker Youssef El-Arabi is likely to start in attack for APOEL, as he looks to win the tournament for a second season in a row, having lifted the trophy with Olympiacos last year.
Celje possible starting lineup:
Rozman; Nieto, Nemanic, Vuklisevic, Karnicnik; Dulca, Zabukovnik, Seslar, Svetlin; Lhernault, Edmilson
APOEL possible starting lineup:
Belec; Chebake, Petrovic, Laifis, Quintilla; Abagna, Meyer, Tejera; Marquinhos, El-Arabi, Donis
We say: Celje 1-2 APOEL
With the hosts unbeaten at home in the competition and APOEL unbeaten on their travels in the Conference League, this makes it difficult to pick a winner here.
Despite the similarities in their seasons, we think that the visitors have a little bit more quality and experience in their squad, and this should help them to secure a vital victory on Thursday evening.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
