Preview: Saburtalo Tbilisi vs. Slovan Bratislava - prediction, team news, lineups

Into the second qualifying round of the Champions League for the second time in their history, Saburtalo Tbilisi host Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, aiming to secure a positive first-leg result at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.

The Red Eagles secured a highly entertaining 5-4 aggregate victory over Flora, setting up an encounter with the Slovak champions, who begin their continental exertions this week.

Match preview

While many may feel this is all new for Saburtalo Tbilisi in Europe, the Slovakian outfit have been here before, albeit seven years ago.

On that occasion, the Tbilisi-based club defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 4-3 on aggregate in the first qualifying round, only to go out with a whimper at the next stage, falling 5-0 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb.

In a sense, there are already some similarities in their embryonic continental joust this season, making hard work of beating Flora 5-4 after two legs, having led the tie 5-2 heading into the final 20 minutes of the second fixture last week.

While Andriy Demchenko's team held on in front of their supporters, they return to their Tbilisi home keen to make the most of their ambition to break new ground on the continent.

Even if that may not guarantee reaching a maiden third qualifying round appearance, supporters will hope that their Red Eagles side at least carry a positive, encouraging result into next week's return fixture in Bratislava.

Yaya Toure takes charge of his first competitive match in charge of the Slovak champions on Tuesday, seeking a victory ahead of his home bow next week.

That is far from guaranteed, given their comparative lack of competitive action, with their Georgian opponent already four months into the defence of their title.

Nevertheless, the Sky Blues are the favourites to make it through to the third qualifying round, as they aim to return to the league phase of the Champions League after featuring in the 2024-25 season.

Last season saw them make it past their second qualifying round hurdle against Zrinjski Mostar, but fell in the following round to Kairat on penalties before suffering more European disappointment at the hands of Young Boys.

That meant that the Bratislava giants had to make do with Conference League football in 2025-26, something they look to change in 2026-27.

As such, the Sky Blues carry some pressure into Tuesday's fixture, as they strive to secure a result in Tbilisi ahead of the reverse fixture in a week or so.

Saburtalo Tbilisi Champions League form:

Saburtalo Tbilisi form (all competitions):

Slovan Bratislava friendlies form:

Team News

Iberia seemed to come through last week's second leg unscathed, giving Demchenko a healthy squad to work with on Tuesday.

Nika Sikharulashvili netted both goals in last week's 2-2 draw with Flora, and the 22-year-old will aim to pick up where he left off.

Nino Marcelli has not played for Slovan since sustaining an injury in April, all but ruling out the young winger in Tbilisi.

Last season's leading forward Andraz Sporar netted a team-high 12 league goals, and he will back himself to start this term strongly after finding the back of the net in back-to-back friendly matches against Slovan Prague and Pafos.

Like Sporar, who also assisted six goals last season, Tigran Barseghyan carries a dual threat for the Bratislava-based club after scoring 10 and assisting six, highlighting the away side's match-winning quality.

Saburtalo Tbilisi possible starting lineup:

Makaridze; Zohouri, Amisulashvili, Selimovic, Jinjolava; Dadiani, Kardava, Kutsia; Bedoshvili, Sikharulashvili, Natchkhebia

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takac; Medvedev, Bajric, Markovic, Cruz; Mustafic, Pokorny, Ibrahim; Barseghyan, Sporar, Yirajang