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

A week after Yaya Toure's bow as Slovan Bratislava boss ended positively, the Slovakian giants welcome Saburtalo Tbilisi to Narodny Futbalovy Stadion on Wednesday, aiming to complete the job in their Champions League second qualifying round.

The Sky Blues secured a 2-0 success over Andriy Demchenko's troops a week ago, leaving them as heavy favourites to advance to the third qualifying round, where Mjallby or Lincoln Red Imps await.

Match preview

Andraz Sporar and Alasana Yirajang gave Toure a managerial bow to remember as the White Hawks from Tehelne Pole secured a 2-0 success in Tbilisi, effectively putting one foot in the third qualifying round.

Both goals came in the opening half, giving the Slovak side something to hold onto, and they largely managed the game admirably to seal a routine victory.

That momentum was carried into the defence of their top-flight title, of which the Sky Blues are eight-time defending champions and 24-time winners.

While the statistics show that Slovan's 4-0 success was closer than the seemingly convincing scoreline suggested, Toure's team are yet to concede in two competitive fixtures while scoring six overall, giving them an edge ahead of reaching the next round of qualifying in Europe.

Having reached the third qualifying round last season before falling to Kairat, the Slovak side will push to give themselves the chance of making it to that stage again to compete in the playoff round this time.

Demchenko takes his Red Eagles outfit to Bratislava, looking to overturn last week's 2-0 loss.

Barring any collapse on the part of the home side, Saburtalo face a tall order to advance to the third qualifying round for the first time.

The Red Eagles fell at this same stage on their European qualifying debut in the 2019-20 season, failing to score in a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, and a 2-0 loss at home in Tbilisi does not bode well for Wednesday's encounter.

Further highlighting the uphill challenge in front of Iberia 1999 is their ongoing inability to keep a clean sheet, with Demchenko's team failing to record a shutout in five consecutive competitive games.

It does not help that Iberia have let in two goals or more in four of those matches, highlighting their seemingly soft underbelly heading into Wednesday's game in Bratislava.

As such, Saburtalo must give themselves a fine shot of reaching the next round by keeping a clean sheet in the midweek fixture.

Slovan Bratislava Champions League form:

Slovan Bratislava form (all competitions):

Saburtalo Tbilisi Champions League form:

Saburtalo Tbilisi form (all competitions):

Team News

Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli missed the first leg due to injury, and the pair are unlikely to play any part; however, Toure has named Marcelli in the Slovan squad.

Artur Gajdos is pushing for a start against the Georgian outfit after his two assists at the weekend helped the Sky Blues to a league win to start the campaign.

While Manasse Kianga scored and assisted in the league success, the forward has not been named in the Bratislava squad, thus ruling him out until the next qualifying round at least.

The away side ideally ought to lean on Amiran Dzagania, Jemali-Giorgi Jinjolava and Vakho Bedoshvili due to their goalscoring contributions in the league, although the trio's only direct involvement in Europe came in the 3-2 win over Flora at the start of July.

Demchenko's team do not appear to have sustained any serious injury across their previous two matches, giving the Red Eagles a largely healthy squad for selection on Wednesday.

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takac; Blackman, Bajric, Wimmer, Kozlovsky; Mustafic, Pokorny, Gajdos; Maros, Sporar, Yirajang

Saburtalo Tbilisi possible starting lineup:

Makaridze; Kobuladze, Selimovic, Amisulashvili, Jinjolava; Dadiani, Bartishvilu, Kardava; Bedoshvili, Sikharulashvili, Natchkhebia

We say: Slovan Bratislava 2-0 Saburtalo Tbilisi (Slovan Bratislava win 4-0 on aggregate)

Buoyed by their solid defensive displays, attacking momentum and a comfortable first-leg advantage, Toure's men should have no trouble dictating the tempo against a porous Georgian side.

The Red Eagles lack the defensive discipline to keep the hosts at bay, paving the way for another routine victory and a safe passage to the third qualifying round for the Slovakian champions.

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