APOEL vs Slovan Bratislava Match Analysis & Prediction
13/08/2024 8:00 pm
APOEL have a mountain to climb to qualify for the playoff round of the 2024-25 Champions League, having suffered a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Slovan Bratislava in the third qualifying round last week.
APOEL are 29-time Cypriot champions, which is a record, and they finished at the top of the pile last season to secure qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round.
Thrylos managed to squeez past Petrocub 2-1 on aggregate in the last round, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bratislava in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie on August 7.
David Gallego’s side famously reached the quarter-finals of the 2011-12 Champions League, which represents their best-ever performance in the European competition, while they were last present in the group stage of Europe’s leading cup competition back in 2014-15.
APOEL will begin their domestic campaign on August 23, so their full attention is the Champions League, but they will need to put in a special performance to turn the tie around, as an own goal from Radosav Petrovic sent Bratislava on their way in the first leg, before Robert Mak added the second in the final exchanges.
Bratislava also won their domestic title last season, triumphing in the Slovak First Football League for the 22nd time in their history, which saw them enter the Champions League in the first qualifying round.
The Sky Blues therefore started their European campaign on July 10, beating Strega 4-2 at home and 2-1 away in order to progress to the second qualifying round with an aggregate score of 6-3.
Vladimir Weiss’ side were also comfortable in the last round, beating Celje 6-1 on aggregate, and as aforementioned, they will bring a 2-0 advantage into the second leg of their third qualifying round tie against APOEL.
Bratislava are also two matches into their domestic season, posting two wins to sit at the top of the table, so they will enter this contest off the back of four straight victories across all competitions.
APOEL vs. Slovan Bratislava Head to head
In the previous three meetings between these two teams, they have claimed a victory each while drawing once.
-
26/07/2011APOEL0Slovan Bratislava0Champions League
-
03/08/2011Slovan Bratislava0APOEL2Champions League
-
07/08/2024Slovan Bratislava2APOEL0Champions League
-
13/08/2024N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
-
13/08/2024APOELN/ASlovan BratislavaN/AChampions League
APOEL Team News
Youssef El-Arabi is perhaps the player pushing strongest to be introduced into the APOEL XI, but Stefan Drazic is expected to again be given the nod as the centre-forward on Tuesday.
Marquinhos is another certain starter for the hosts, with the 27-year-old already scoring twice in three appearances in the qualification round of the Champions League this season.
APOEL's Last 5 Matches
-
09/07/2024Radnicki Kragujevac1APOEL1Club Friendlies
-
17/07/2024AEK Larnaca0APOEL0Club Friendlies
-
23/07/2024APOEL1Petrocub0Champions League
-
30/07/2024Petrocub1APOEL1Champions League
-
07/08/2024Slovan Bratislava2APOEL0Champions League
Slovan Bratislava Team News
Mak and David Strelec have both scored four times in six appearances at the start of the new season, and the former is set to be introduced into the Bratislava XI after coming off the bench in the first leg.
There will be a notable inclusion at the back in the shape of 37-year-old Guram Kashia, who helped Georgia reach the last-16 stage of this summer’s European Championship.
Slovan Bratislava's Last 5 Matches
-
24/07/2024Celje1Slovan Bratislava1Champions League
-
27/07/2024Komarno1Slovan Bratislava4Super Liga
-
30/07/2024Slovan Bratislava5Celje0Champions League
-
03/08/2024Slovan Bratislava1Podbrezova0Super Liga
-
07/08/2024Slovan Bratislava2APOEL0Champions League
APOEL vs. Slovan Bratislava: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
Double Chance: APOEL or X
Best Odds
1000% Super Multi Bonus
Up to 10 times (1000%) larger winnings on bets placed during Happy Hour
CLAIM BONUS