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Slovan Bratislava welcome Celje to Tehelne pole for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League second qualification round on Tuesday (July 30). The tie is firmly in the balance, with the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw in Slovenia last week.
Celje were ahead through Luka Bobicanec's seventh-minute strike before Bratislava were level four minutes later courtesy of David Strelic. The visitors were reduced to 10 men on the half-hour mark but held on to leave with a draw.
Bratislava followed up their continental stalemate with a 4-1 victory at Komarno in the Slovakian Nike Liga on Saturday. Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli scored either side of Jakub Sylvestr to give the visitors a 2-1 lead at the break. Robert Mak and David Strelec scored second-half goals to guarantee the victory.
The Sky Blues eliminated Struga with a 6-3 aggregate victory in the last round of the qualifiers to get to this stage, while Celje comfortably eliminated Flora with a 7-1 aggregate win.
The winner of this tie will face APOEL Nicosia or Petrocub Hincesti in the next round of the qualifiers, while the losers drop to the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.
Slovan Bratislava vs Celje Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Last week's clash was the first meeting between the two sides.
- Slovan's last nine games across competitions have had goals at both ends.
- Seventeen of Celje's last 19 competitive games have had both sides score.
- Six of Bratislava's last eight home games in UEFA club competitions have produced at least three goals.
- Twelve of Celje's last 13 games across competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
Slovan Bratislava vs Celje Prediction
Slovan showed their defensive mettle to hold on for a draw despite being a man down for over an hour in the first leg. Eight of their last nine competitive games have produced at least three goals.
Celje, meanwhile, have never advanced beyond this stage of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers and could rue their failure to take advantage of their chances in the first leg.
Games involving both sides tend to be expansive, so expect Bratislava to claim a narrow win with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Slovan 2-1 Celje
Slovan Bratislava vs Celje Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Slovan to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
