Ballkani take on the visitors Ludogorets in the first leg of 1/8-finals in UEFA Champions League qualification playoffs. The match will be played on Tuesday, June 11th at Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri (Pristina).
Balkani will try to prove themselves again. The club was founded in 1947, but during the time of unified Yugoslavia, not many people knew about them. Furthermore, even after the separate national championship was launched, they didn't achieve much. It was only in this decade, in recent years, that they managed to break into leading roles. Their first title came in the form of the Kosovo Cup, which they won in 2020. Since then, Balkani has won the local championship twice in a row. As a result, they made their international debut a year ago. In the Champions League, they were eliminated by their first opponent, Žalgiris, losing away in extra time after a couple of draws. However, by defeating La Fiorita, KI Klaksvik, and Shkupi in the qualifiers, the Kosovar team advanced to the group stage of the Conference League, becoming their country's first representative there. In the autumn, although they finished fourth in their group, they managed to win away against Sivasspor and draw at home against CFR Cluj.
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Ludogorets were founded in 1945 but remained a modest regional team for decades, without achieving much success even at the national level. However, in 2010, the club from Razgrad caught the attention of a local pharmaceutical oligarch, Kiril Domuschiev. Within a year, they climbed to the top division of Bulgarian football and won it right away. Since then, no one has taken away their gold – they have won 12 consecutive titles. They soon made a name for themselves on the international stage as well. In 2014, Ludogorets played in the Champions League group stage and repeated the feat in 2016. Although they haven't managed to achieve the same success again in the Champions League, they have become a regular participant in the group stage of the Europa League. This was also the case last season. They fell just short in the Champions League qualifiers, defeating Sutjeska and Shamrock Rovers, but losing both matches to Dinamo Zagreb. However, in the less prestigious tournament, The Eagles defeated Žalgiris and finished third in a group with Roma and Real Betis (they even beat Mourinho's team at home). As a result, the Bulgarians reached the play-offs of the Conference League, where they were eliminated by their first opponent, Anderlecht (they exchanged victories but lost in Belgium in a penalty shootout).
Kosovo has only recently become a member of UEFA. It is not surprising that the grand team from Razgrad will make their first visit here. The away team is stronger and more experienced. It is unlikely that they would want to start the new season with a failure, so we bet that they will succeed in defeating the team coached by Ivaylo Petev.
Prediction for the match: Ludogorets to win.
