Celje take on the visitors Slovan Bratislava in the first leg quarterfinals of UEFA Champions League qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 24th at Stadion Z'dezele (Celje).
Celje have made a successful start this time. "The Counts," despite their grand name, spent nearly the entire first century of their long history without standing out much—especially during the times of unified Yugoslavia and even after the country gained independence. The 2005 Slovenian Cup win brightened their stats but didn’t lead to further successes. Only in 2020 did the team suddenly manage to become national champions. They repeated this success in the last season. With the gold, the team again entered the Champions League. This time, they started successfully—thrashing Flora in Estonia, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes and finishing with a 5-0 away win. It was understandable that it was harder to stay focused at home, starting with a conceded goal. But towards the end, they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Slovan Bratislava are historically much more successful—just remember who won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1969. Even now, the team is still at the top domestically. Last spring, they secured their 6th consecutive championship title and 22nd overall. However, what the Slovaks often struggle with is performing on the international stage. Vladimir Weiss and his team still have a long way to go to reach their goal of qualifying for the Champions League group stage. Fans can take solace in their confident passing of the barrier presented by Struga. They won 4-2 in the first home match and then scored twice in North Macedonia, allowing the hosts only a late consolation goal.
This is the first time Slovenia will host guests from the Slovak capital. The home team is considered the favorite in this pair. However, overall, we can expect the first match between these teams to be exciting. Bet on a total of over 2.5 goals scored.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
