KF Llapi will aim to overturn their first-leg defeat when they host Wisla Krakow at the Stadiumi i Qytetit in the Europa League first qualifying round second leg on Thursday.
The Kosovan side fell to a 2-0 loss when the two sides matched up in Poland in last week's opening fixture, leaving Thursday's visitors in the driving seat.
Match preview
KF Llapi come into this second leg with the difficult task of needing to win by a three-goal margin if they are to progress into the second round of qualifying for this year's Europa League.
The Kosovan team have not only never progressed beyond the first round in their last two attempts to qualify for European competition, suffering aggregate defeats in the first round of qualifying for the Europa Conference League in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but KF Llapi are also yet to secure a victory in any of their European matches.
The defeat to Krakow last week is the third consecutive 2-0 defeat that the Legends have experienced in the away leg of a qualifying match, previously losing 2-0 to both KF Shkupi and FK Buducnost Podgorica in their past away legs.
Despite maintaining an undefeated record in home legs of European competition, having secured draws on both occasions, KF Llapi face the prospect of another first-round exit this year if they repeat that outcome.
Wisla Krakow showed their dominance in their home leg, opening the scoring after just two minutes thanks to Igor Sapala's strike from just inside the box, and that goal seemed to set the tempo for the rest of the game.
The White Star had several scoring opportunities and came close multiple times throughout the match, while KF Llapi also had a few chances of their own; however, Wisla Krakow managed to keep them out and secured a 2-0 victory with Angel Rodado scoring in the final minutes.
Despite competing in the second tier of Polish league football, and finishing 10th in the division last campaign, Wisla Krakow are still the favourites to get over the line and into the second round.
Last week's victory was their first in five matches, four defeats and one draw in that time, and the first competitive game under the management of Kazimierz Moskal, who will be eager for his side to defend their lead and progress through to the next stage.
Team News
KF Llapi will likely name a different lineup for this match in their bid to deliver a significantly better performance and to regain a foothold in the tie.
Arbnor Ramadani is expected to make way for Besar Musolli in the midfield, while they could change to a three-defender formation as they look to push higher up the pitch.
The visitors, on the other hand, will be extremely confident coming into this game after a commanding display last week, and Moskal could opt to name the same side in this one.
After scoring 21 times in the league for Wisla Krakow last season, Rodado continued his goalscoring exploits in the first leg as he doubled his team's lead in the final minutes of the game, and the striker is expected to lead the line once again here.
KF Llapi possible starting lineup:
Avdyli; Rama, Ahmeti, Krasniqi; Vokrri, Musolli, Blakcori, Namani, Bytyqi; Januzi, Berisha
Wisla Krakow possible starting lineup:
Chichkan; Jaroch, Uryga, Colley, Mikulec; Sapala, Carbo; Baena, Gogol, Sukiennicki; Rodado
We say: KF Llapi 1-1 Wisla Krakow (Wisla Krakow win 3-1 on aggregate)
The visitors showcased their quality in the first leg and will likely look to defend their lead in this game, and with the hosts drawing in each of their last two home games in European ties, we expect this one to also end all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
