Struga will host Slovan Bratislava at the Stadion Biljanini Izvori on Wednesday night for the second leg of their first-round Champions League qualifying clash, aiming to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg.
The Sky Blues eventually managed to secure a 4-2 victory in the reverse fixture, thanks to two crucial goals in the final five minutes of normal time.
Match preview
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The first leg of Struga's second-ever attempt to qualify for Europe's premier competition came to a disappointing end after a thrilling encounter with Slovan Bratislava last Wednesday night, leaving them with a two-goal deficit to overturn in their home leg.
Two first-half goals from Vladimir Weiss and Robert Mak put the Sky Blues two goals ahead after the first 45 minutes, but Besart Ibraimi managed to pull his side level thanks to goals in the 55th and 74th minute.
Despite taking more shots than their opponents, Struga were unable to find the breakthrough goal to take the lead and, eventually, they succumbed to Slovan Bratislava's attacks as Juraj Kucka scored twice in the last five minutes of normal time to win the game for his side.
Struga, who have now failed to win in any of their three previous Champions League matches, will be hoping they can make the most of their home advantage on Wednesday as they look to get back into the tie.
Qatip Osmani's side will take solace from the fact they were at their best when playing at the Stadion Biljanini Izvori last season, amassing 38 of their 64 total points when in front of their home crowd as they went on the secure the Macedonian First League title.
Slovan Bratislava have historically struggled in their away fixtures in the Champions League, losing 10 of their 20 games when on the road throughout all their qualifying attempts in past seasons.
The Sky Blues do have a good record on their travels in domestic competitions in recent years though, losing just 13 times away from home in the last six seasons in the Slovak Super Liga.
They will be hoping they can hold on to their two-goal lead this time around as they look to progress and go on to achieve qualification to the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Team News
Struga were able to avoid any injury concerns from the first-leg defeat but an impressive performance for large parts of the game, especially the early stages of the second half, could lead to Osmani opting to make few changes.
Ibraimi is likely to lead the line once again after scoring twice in that game, and he is expected to start alongside strike partner Marjan Radeski, who came off the bench at half-time in the first leg.
Stefan Spirovski could also make his way into the starting team after the midfielder was brought on for Hogan Ukpa at half-time in the reverse fixture.
As for the visitors, they are likely to start with the same 4-5-1 system that eventually saw them secure the victory in the first leg, with goal scorers Kucka, Mak and Weiss all expected to feature from the beginning.
David Strelec failed to get on the scoresheet in the first meeting, but the striker is sure to be a threat throughout the second leg coming off a season where he scored 14 times across all competitions.
Struga possible starting lineup:
Dujmovic; Radic, Ristevski, Krivanjeva; Vlajkovic, Jevtoski, Spirovski, Vosha; Shabani; Radeski, Ibraimi
Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:
Trnovsky; Pauschek, Kashia, Bajric, Wimmer; Mak, Tolic, Savvidis, Kucka, Weiss; Strelec
We say: Struga 1-2 Slovan Bratislava (Slovan Bratislava to win 6-3 on aggregate)
While Struga were impressive throughout the first match against the favourites to progress, the overall quality of Slovan Bratislava eventually shone through as they secured the victory, and we expect that to happen again here, with the visitors winning the game and progressing into the next round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
