Midtjylland take on the visitors Slovan Bratislava in the first leg of the final round of UEFA Champions League qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 21st at MCH Arena (Herning).
The strongest team in Denmark in recent years is in excellent form: this season, which began for them in July, they have already played 9 matches—and so far, not a single defeat. This includes their participation in the Champions League qualifiers, where the competition is fierce. The Danes have successively defeated Andorran side Santa Coloma (not the toughest opponent) and then Hungarian team Ferencváros (which required more effort). With such form, Midtjylland should advance to the next stage—the group stage. The team is showing high-quality football, and they need to capitalize on it to earn the opportunity to play against the best. They were also fortunate with the draw; it could have been a much tougher opponent.
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The main problem for Bratislava's Slovan is that they face little to no competition in their national championship (similar to PSG, but in a Slovak version). Yet, despite this, the team has reached the final stage of the Champions League qualifiers, having already overcome three stages—beating Macedonian side Struga, Slovenian team Celje, and Cypriot club APOEL. In the domestic league, everything is going smoothly for the club—they remain unbeaten and are on track for another trophy. Additionally, the team is facing another challenge: experienced defender Pauschek will miss the game due to injury, which objectively weakens their defensive line.
There is still a difference between these teams. Midtjylland plays in a more competitive league and has become the strongest there. In terms of individual players, in my humble opinion, the Danes also have the edge. They are playing at home, where their performance has been remarkable: their last loss here was back in April. It will be difficult for Slovan to put up much of a fight. Plus, we shouldn’t forget that they have certain absences that have weakened their defense. Therefore, a Midtjylland victory seems likely here.
Prediction for the match: Midtjylland to win.
