Preview: Slovan Bratislava vs Kairat - prediction, team news, lineups

Slovan Bratislava face a one-goal deficit as they welcome Kairat to Tehelne Pole on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

The Slovakians were undone by a late strike in the first leg last week, falling 1-0, and will now need to seize the initiative if they are to progress beyond this stage.

Match preview

Given Slovan were up against a side that had been imperious on home turf — winning all five of their previous Champions League qualifying games at Central Stadium — it was no surprise that their outing in Almaty proved anything but comfortable.

The Kazakh hosts threw everything forward, yet the Sky Blues’ greatest asset on the night was their resilience, especially after being reduced to ten men when defensive midfielder Rahim Ibrahim was shown a red card.

Goalkeeper Dominik Takac was exceptional in the encounter, keeping the scoreline respectable after dealing with seven efforts on target, only beaten by a 90th-minute penalty from Dastan Satpaev.

As a result, Vladimír Weiss’s men must now overturn the deficit if they are to continue their quest for back-to-back appearances in the Champions League league phase, having achieved the feat last term.

Slovan approach this fixture with a fine home record, winning each of their last four competitive matches at Tehelne Pole, including a 4-0 triumph over Zrinjski in the previous round, making a turnaround here far from impossible.

Kairat may have kept clean sheets in all three home matches of this qualifying campaign, yet their defensive resolve has not travelled as well, with goals conceded in both away legs of earlier phases.

The visitors will be wary of their slender advantage heading into the week, especially given they lost 2-0 on their trip to KuPS in the second phase before overturning the tie at Central Stadium to progress 3-2 on aggregate, but a similar defeat here would mean elimination with no second chance.

However, the Team of the Nation may yet fancy pressing home their advantage this Tuesday, buoyed by the momentum of four consecutive wins across all competitions, a run in which they have kept three clean sheets.

Reaching this stage already marks new ground for Kairat, who have never before reached the third qualifying round, so successfully navigating this tie would add another significant chapter to their history.

Slovan Bratislava Champions League form:

Slovan Bratislava form (all competitions):

Kairat Champions League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

Team News

Slovan will look to centre-forward David Strelec for inspiration, with the 24-year-old aiming to rediscover his scoring touch after drawing a blank last time out, ending a run of goals in three straight appearances.

It is no surprise that Rahim Ibrahim will miss Tuesday’s clash due to the red card he received in the first leg, with Danylo Ignatenko among those in contention to fill the void in midfield.

Manager Weiss will also be absent from the dugout after being dismissed in the 90th minute, meaning assistant coach Boris Kitka will take charge from the touchline.

Kairat have no suspensions to contend with, and Giorgi Zaria returns to the fold after serving a ban in the first leg, adding to their defensive options.

A similar backline to the one deployed last week is expected, with Luis Mata, Aleksandr Martynovich, Egor Sorokin and Damir Kasabulat likely to shield goalkeeper Aleksandr Zarutskiy once more.

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takacs; Sharani, Kashia, Bajrict, Blackman; Ignatenko, Pokorny; Tolic; Weiss, Strelec, Barseghyan

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Zarutsky; Mata, Martynovich, Sorokin, Kasabulat; Gromyko, Arad, Tapalov; Jorginho, E Santos; Satpayev

We say: Slovan Bratislava 2-0 Kairat (a.e.t., Slovan win 2-1 on aggregate)

Although Slovan enter this encounter hampered by key absences and the loss of their head coach from the dugout, they possess the quality and home backing to force the tie in their favour, though it may require them to dig deep and possibly extend proceedings beyond the regulation 90 minutes.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.