O. Ljubljana vs Slovan Bratislava prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-04 16:45.
A momentous occasion awaits for Olimpija Ljubljana, who will host a UEFA club competition group stage match for the first time as they welcome Slovan Bratislava on matchday two of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). They would have wanted a better start to their campaign than a 2-0 defeat to Lille on matchday one, and with goals scored in either half, it at least underlined the scale of the job in front of them if they want to escape Group A.
Olimpija halted a three-game winless run (D1, L2) with a league victory at the weekend which kept them within four points of the league leaders in Slovenia. While domestic form is far from perfect, the Dragons have struggled more in Europe, winning just one of their last seven in the UECL (D1, L5), with the only win in that sequence coming via an extra-time goal against opposition who had been reduced to ten men.
Slovan Bratislava are in a relatively better space, winning six of their last seven matches in all competitions (L1), while they head to the Slovenian capital on a four-match winning streak. A matchday one victory over Klaksvik (2-1) forms part of that run, and represented a solid start as they look to replicate last season’s run to the last 16 of this competition.
Vladimir Weiss’ men have competed in all three European competitions in three successive years, but their away form dented any ambitions of competing at a higher level than the UECL. Both of their previous two European road trips ended in defeat and saw them concede nine total goals, but they are at least unbeaten across three UECL away matches (W2, D1).
Players to watch: Rui Pedro scored Olimpija’s opening goal in his last two matches and has an impressive record of 11 wins across his last 12 club scoring games. Looking for a similar impact could be Tigran Barseghyan with four of his five goals this season coming in wins.
Hot stat: In four of the five away UECL matches in which they scored, Slovan Bratislava’s opener arrived within the first 20 minutes.