Both looking to take the next step towards a place in this season's Champions League, Slovan Bratislava and APOEL will convene for the first leg of their third-round qualifier on Wednesday.
While Slovan have safely navigated two knockout rounds to come within touching distance of a precious playoff place, their Cypriot counterparts edged through their first European tie of the new campaign late last month.
Match preview
© Reuters
Participating in Champions League qualifying for the sixth consecutive season, after they retained their Slovakian title last term, Slovan Bratislava are yet to advance through to the all-important group stage, which will be expanded to include 36 teams this year.
The Sky Blues kicked off their latest campaign in mid-July with a first-round contest against Struga, cruising past the North Macedonian club by a 6-3 aggregate score and setting up a second-round clash with Slovenia's NK Celje.
Head coach Vladimir Weiss - who previously led the national team and is in his second spell as Slovan boss - steered his side to a 1-1 away draw in the first leg, before they strolled to a 5-0 home win when Cejle were reduced to 10 men in Bratislava.
Having scored in both legs, former Spezia striker David Strelec found the net again in the capital club's opening-day victory as the Slovak Super League resumed, and they have posted two wins from two so far.
Still unbeaten in all competitions, Slovan now take on APOEL - who were 2-1 winners when the clubs last met some 13 years ago - for a place in the Champions League playoffs.
![Mateo Susic in APOEL FC's friendly match against FK Radnicki Kragujevac - 09/07/2024 [on July 28, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/mateo-susic.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Mateo Susic in APOEL FC's friendly match against FK Radnicki Kragujevac - 09/07/2024 [on July 28, 2024]")
© Imago
While Wednesday's hosts have been regulars in recent UEFA competitions, APOEL are making their first appearance on the main stage since losing to Basel in the 2019-20 Europa League's first knockout round.
The Nicosia club had previously qualified four times for the Champions League group phase - memorably managing to reach the quarter-finals in 2012 - and made it into the Europa League three times too.
After letting their domestic dominance slip and being struck by financial problems, APOEL returned to domestic glory last season, winning the Cypriot championship for a record-extending 29th time by finishing first in the playoff round following a dramatic final-day draw with closest rivals AEK.
Title-winning boss Ricardo Sa Pinto led the club to top spot in his only season, with his team boasting both the best attack and best defence, but Spanish coach David Gallego has now taken charge for 2024-25.
In his first competitive contests, APOEL won their opening Champions League qualifier by beating Petrocub in the second round: following a 1-0 victory in the first leg, they played out a tense 1-1 draw away from home, with Brazilian winger Marquinhos scoring in both games.
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![APOEL FC coach David Gallego when he was Real Sporting coach, seen during the La Liga Smartbank 2021/2022 match between Malaga CF and Real Sporting at La Rosaleda Stadium in Malaga. Malaga Spain - 01/9/2022, [on July 28, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/david-gallego.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "APOEL FC coach David Gallego when he was Real Sporting coach, seen during the La Liga Smartbank 2021/2022 match between Malaga CF and Real Sporting at La Rosaleda Stadium in Malaga. Malaga Spain - 01/9/2022, [on July 28, 2024]")
© Imago
After his heroics in the previous round, Marquinhos will again feature in APOEL's front three on Wednesday, when either Stefan Drazic or veteran striker Youssef El-Arabi should start up front.
Goalkeeper Vid Belec captained the side last time out, starting behind centre-backs Radosav Petrovic and Lasha Dvali, the latter of whom was involved in Georgia's impressive run at Euro 2024.
David Gallego generally prefers a 4-3-3 formation, but his side's outlook may be a little more defensive at Stadion Tehelne Pole.
Meanwhile, Slovan's main marksman so far this season is David Strelec, who has led the way in Champions League qualifying with three goals.
Experienced wingers Robert Mak and Vladimir Weiss - son and namesake of the hosts' manager - will provide support in the final third.
Following spells in the Czech Republic, Italy and England, another national team stalwart, Juraj Kucka, is back in Slovakia and scored twice in the first-round win over Struga. He could be joined in midfield by Kyriakos Savvidis, who returns from suspension.
Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:
Takac; Bajric, Kashia, Wimmer; Blackman, Kucka, Savvidis, Zuberu; Mak, Strelec, Weiss
APOEL possible starting lineup:
Belec; Susic, Petrovic, Dvali, Quintilla; Marquinhos, Ndongala, Tejera, Kostadinov, Sarfo; Drazic
We say: Slovan Bratislava 2-0 APOEL
Slovan are further into their 2024-25 campaign and have won both of their Champions League qualifiers at home so far; in addition to their vast experience, that should see them gain a healthy first-leg advantage on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
