Dinamo Batumi and Ludogorets Razgrad will conclude their battle for a place in the second round of Champions League qualifying on Wednesday, when they square off in the second leg of their tie in Georgia.
The visitors make the trip with a 3-1 lead to defend after a successful first leg on Bulgarian soil last week.
Match preview
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Dinamo Batumi head into their home leg in the first round of Champions League qualifying on Wednesday aiming to overturn a deficit from last week, having endured a tough start to their latest continental campaign.
Andriy Demchenko's side entered Champions League qualifying for the second time in their history this term after winning their second Georgian top-flight title last time around, having previously entered in the 2022-23 term and dropped out at the hands of Slovan Bratislava before Lech Poznan denied them a place in the Europa Conference League group stage.
They then began qualifying for Europe's tertiary competition again last season but again fell short of reaching their first ever group stage, losing 3-2 to Tirana in the first round, before going on to regain the domestic title, finishing top in 2023 with 74 points from their 36 outings.
Thanks to that triumph, Demchenko's men made a return to Champions League qualifying in the midst of their latest domestic campaign, travelling to Ludogorets Razgrad for the first leg last week on the back of a tough start to their league defence and a 3-2 victory over Saburtalo to seal third spot in the Georgian Super Cup, and they quickly fell behind in the continental tie, falling to a 3-1 defeat on the night, having pulled the deficit back to 2-1 through Vladimer Mamuchashvili on the hour mark only for the hosts to double their lead again.
Now sitting fourth in the Georgian Erovnuli Liga after 18 matches with an eight-point deficit to top spot, Dinamo Batumi will be keen to kick off their continental campaign on a more positive note and overturn their first-leg deficit on Wednesday to progress in Champions League qualifying.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip aiming to build on that lead established in Bulgaria last week and put their own name in the second-round draw, having enjoyed a strong start to their qualifying bid last week.
Ludogorets Razgrad made their return to qualifying for Europe's premier competition by winning their 13th consecutive Bulgarian top-flight title in the 2023-24 term, finishing the Championship round on 82 points from their 35 outings, seven clear of second spot.
While they failed to reach the Champions League group stage in that campaign, having twice reached the main competition in their 12 full attempts thus far, Georgi Dermendzhiev's side did still enjoy a run in Europe, earning a place in the Europa Conference League group stage and progressing to the knockout round playoffs having finished second, only to be denied a round-of-16 place in a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Swiss outfit Servette.
Following their latest league glory, the Eagles returned to qualifying with the aim of reaching the Champions League's first-ever league phase this term, and they quickly got on the front foot in the home leg of their first-round tie, going 2-0 up in the first half against Dinamo Batumi through Bernard Tekpetey and Rick, before Aslak Fonn Witry restored their two-goal lead 18 minutes from time, giving his side a 3-1 advantage heading into Wednesday's reverse fixture.
Ludogorets Razgrad will now travel to Georgia with the aim of building on last week's result and seeing out their aggregate victory to progress to the second qualifying round later in July.
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Team News
Dinamo Batumi may opt to make several changes to their starting XI from last week's 3-1 defeat in the first leg in a bid to overturn the tie, with July arrival Bubacarr Tambedou among those hoping to start after netting a brace off the bench on debut in the Georgian Super Cup third-place playoff before settling for a substitute appearance in the home leg last time out.
He could displace Jalen Blesa up top, while Paata Gudushauri sits level at the top of their scoring charts on six goals for the season and should continue on the right wing.
Midfielder Vladimer Mamuchashvili also boasts six for the campaign, including their goal away at Ludogorets Razgrad last week, and he is bound to continue in the centre with Jean Victor and Alef Santos again hoping to join him.
On the contrary, Ludogorets Razgrad may head into the second leg with an unchanged starting XI after gaining the edge on home turf last week, with Rick and Bernard Tekpetey bound to keep their places on the wings in a front three after opening their accounts for the season at the first time of asking at the Ludogorets Arena.
They managed eight and 15 goals respectively last season, while Rwan Cruz should again lead the line having notched up 20 last time around.
While main man Jakub Piotrowski will fight to return to the midfield from the outset, Pedro Naressi, Todor Nedelev and Ivaylo Chochev could again get the nod to start with Olivier Verdon and Dinis Almeida bound to continue their partnership at the heart of a back four.
Dinamo Batumi possible starting lineup:
Silva; Mali, Kharabadze, Kobakhidze, Wanderson; Mamuchashvili, Victor, Santos; Gudushauri, Tambedou, Gomis
Ludogorets Razgrad possible starting lineup:
Padt; Fonn Witry, Verdon, Almeida, Nedyalkov; Naressi, Nedelev, Chocev; Rick, Cruz, Tekpetey
We say: Dinamo Batumi 1-3 Ludogorets Razgrad (Ludogorets Razgrad win 6-2 on aggregate)
Ludogorets Razgrad showed their superior quality in the first leg, and while they may come under more pressure with the hosts keen to level the contest, they should be able to hit on the break and extend an aggregate lead.
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Sam Varley
