Slovan Bratislava and Swift Hesperange begin their quest for a spot in the Champions League underway when they face off in the first leg of their qualifying clash on Wednesday.
Still celebrating their first-ever Luxembourg top-flight title, the visiting side will head into the midweek clash kick off the qualifiers on a high and keep the juggernaut rolling.
Match preview
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Slovan Bratislava enjoyed another superb domestic campaign as they defended their Slovakian Super League title to be crowned champions for a record-extending fifth straight season.
Vladimir Weiss's men finished second in the regular season to qualify for the Championship group, where they picked up 21 wins and six draws from 32 matches to finish first, two points above runners-up Dunajska Streda.
The Sky Blues also showed class in Europe as they finished first in Group H of the Europa Conference League before losing on penalties to Basel in their round-of-16 clash after a pulsating 4-4 aggregate draw.
Slovan Bratislava head into Wednesday's game off the back of an impressive pre-season, where they won each of their four friendlies, including last Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Rapid Bucuresti.
Mario Tolic, Sharani Zuberu, Kevin Wimmer and Juraj Kucka were all on target to end the Romanian outfit's five-match undefeated run and cap off their preparations for the new season on a high.
Swift Hesperange, on the other hand, wrote their name in the history books last season as they picked up their first-ever Division Nationale crown.
They won 24 of their 31 league matches while claiming six draws and losing just once to collect 78 points and finish top of the table with a seven-point cushion over Progres Niederkorn.
Swift Hesperange scored a staggering 102 goals in the Luxembourg top flight last season while conceding 30, and went unbeaten in their 15 home matches, picking up 13 wins and two draws.
Pascal Carzaniga, who returned to the club in May 2022 for his second stint at the helm of affairs, has been the man behind this success and will urge his side to pick up from where they dropped off last season.
Swift Hesperange are unbeaten in their last six matches, claiming four wins and two draws, and will look to get a win on the board in their first game since closing the 2022-23 campaign with a 2-2 draw against Progres Niederkorn on May 21.
Team News
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Slovan Bratislava recently completed the loan signing of Milan Borja, who started 33 of the 37 games in the Serbian Superliga last season, and the Canadian could make his debut on Wednesday.
Aleksandar Cavric was pivotal in Slovan Bratislava's title run last term and the 29-year-old striker, who finished third in the Slovakian top flight scoring charts, will look to deliver the goods once again.
Experienced forward Vladimir Weiss scored nine league goals last season and should join Cavric in the final third, while Jaba Kankava and former AC Milan man Juraj Kucka should start in midfield.
On the injury front, Weiss will be unable to call upon the trio of goalkeeper Martin Trnovsky, full-back Cesar Blackman and Swiss forward Adler, who continue their spells on the sidelines.
Swift Hesperange, on the other hand, remain without the services of Moroccan midfielder Mohamed Morabet, who has been out of action since June 2022 through a severe injury.
Charles Morren recently completed a move from Dudelange and the 31-year-old could be handed his debut on Wednesday, teaming up with Maurice Deville and Clement Couturier at the centre of the park.
German forward Dominik Stolz won the Division Nationale Golden Boot last year after netting 23 in 30 matches and the 33-year-old should lead the visitors' attack once again.
Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:
Borja; Pauschek, Kashia, Bajric, Lovat; Lichy, Kankava, Kucka; Weiss, Carvic, Zuberu
Swift Hesperange possible starting lineup:
Sadin; Matias, Dante, Zeghdane, Sacras; Morren, Sinani, Couturier; Deville, Stolz, Corral
We say: Slovan Bratislava 2-0 Swift Hesperange
Off the back of a superb pre-season, Slovan Bratislava will head into Wednesday's game with sky-high confidence. Given the gulf in quality and experience between the two sides, we are backing Weiss men to come away with the victory unscathed.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
