Will Slovan Bratislava set the stage for the second leg?

For many clubs, qualifying for the Champions League is like an early start to the season. It is a special challenge to combine preseason preparations with highly important competitive matches. Fortunately, both teams in our Bratislava vs. Zrinjski tip are well-versed in this discipline.

The visitors have already played their first two competitive matches in the first qualifying round, but this does not give them any real advantage for the Bratislava vs. Zrinjski prediction. At least in the first leg, we are clearly guided by the Bratislava – Zrinjski betting odds and favor the hosts.

Slovan Bratislava – Statistics & current form

At the national level, the home side has pulled away from the competition. No other club has won the league competition since 2018. Seven consecutive national championships have made the Blue and Whites the Slovakian record champions.

Pre-season games and their results are not reliable indicators, otherwise we would have to rethink our Bratislava vs. Zrinjski prediction, just as the bookmakers would have to rethink their Bratislava vs. Zrinjski odds. The Sky Blues suffered a clear defeat against Midtjylland (1-4), among others.

The mood among their own fans was much more exuberant after their 17-1 home win against Raca. Coach Vladimir Weiss is an experienced coach who has been with the Slovakian record champions since 2021 and will know how to assess both results correctly.

Strong offense in Bratislava

Last year, the Sky Blues’ professionals expanded their wealth of experience on the European stage. Starting in the first qualifying round, they went eight games unbeaten to reach the group stage of the 2024/2025 Champions League.

Although Weiss’s protégés lost every single match there, they were able to get used to the high level of the top European clubs. However, their previous performances in qualifying are more relevant for the Bratislava – Zrinjski odds.

Weiss’s team won five of eight matches and all four home games. In total, the 19-time Slovakian champions found the back of the net 18 times, with 14 of those goals coming at home. These figures give us great confidence for our Bratislava vs. Zrinjski prediction.

Predicted line-up:
Takac – Blackman, Kashia, Bajric, Cruz – Savvidis, Pokorny – Barseghyan, Weiss, Mak – Strelec

Zrinjski Mostar – Statistics & current form

Unlike the home side, the team from Bosnia-Herzegovina already put their form to the test in the first qualifying round. Unlike in the two matches against Virtus (2-0, 2-1), the Plemici will go into the clash with Bratislava as underdogs.

The visitors have been coached by Mario Ivankovic since 2024. The 50-year-old usually fields his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ivankovic also opted for this tactical line-up in both matches against Virtus. His plan to get Nemanja Bilbija into the best possible position worked. The captain scored three of the four goals against the club from San Marino.

Bilbija will have to adjust to a higher level of opposition in the second round. According to Transfermarkt, Bratislava (€38.08 million) has five times the squad value of Zrinjski (€7.60 million).

Zrinjski rarely achieves the desired result away from home

The visitors qualified for the group stage of the Conference League in 2023/2024. At that time, the Plemici were in a group with Aston Villa (1-1, 0-1), AZ Alkmaar (4-3, 0-1) and Legia Warsaw (1-2, 0-2) and lost every single away game.

This negative trend is likely to continue in our Bratislava – Zrinjski prediction. The team from Bosnia-Herzegovina has lost seven of its last nine European away games (2 wins). In addition, Ivankovic’s side has not won any of its three previous away games against its upcoming opponent.

The visitors do not necessarily have to leave the field without scoring. Zrinjski has scored at least one goal in twelve of its last 13 games. That could be enough for some of you to bet on “Both teams to score.”

Predicted line-up:
Karacic – Susic, Masic, Barisic, Mamic – Ivancic, Savic, Abramovic, Kis, Burey – Bilbija

Slovan Bratislava – Zrinjski Mostar Head-to-head record

The home side have lost only one of their previous five encounters (3W, 1D). The two teams have already been drawn against each other three times in European competition, with the Slovakian record champions coming out on top on each occasion.

Slovan Bratislava – Zrinjski Mostar Tip

Home advantage is just as important a factor as the higher quality of the Belasi squad. Slovan Bratislava has been a regular participant in the Champions League qualifiers for years and has the best striker in this match in David Strelec.

Last year, the hosts scored at least two goals in all four home games in the Champions League qualifiers. The Weiss protégés are continuing this streak in the new season and will concede over 1.5 goals to Zrinjski Mostar.

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