Tuesday 15/07/2014, 21:00, Champions League Qualifiers, Slovan Bratislava vs TNS

Slovan Bratislava vs TNS Preview

Slovan Bratislava's friendly game campaign was disappointing, with the Slovakians winning a single match while dropping points in the other fixtures.

The domestic championship has just begun and they are already leading the pack following a narrow margin victory over Kosice. Their hopes of playing in the Champions League groups this season depend on this double legged round against The New Saints from Wales. Anything short of a convincing home win would send shockwaves among fans and management.

Slovan Bratislava vs TNS Odds

At 10Bet

Slovan Bratislava 1.25, Draw 5.00, TNS 8.25

Slovan Bratislava vs TNS Tips

Slovakian football was deprived of the chance to showcase a successful team in the Champions League groups, but this season, it looks like Slovan has a decent chance at breaking the ice. This is only the first qualifying round and they are guaranteed to meet better teams down the road, but it definitely helps knowing that they can start on the right foot.

Their best asset is the manner in which they take advantage of home pitch, by playing offensive football and it is most unlikely for manager Straka to stray from this strategy. The fact that his team won three games in a row each time by a single goal is both encouraging and worrisome, as they need to double their efforts.

The obvious solution would be to start with three strikers and Fort, Meszaros and Halenar are the ones that will probably feature in the starting formation. None of them scored so far, but midfielder Milinkovic already added his name on the scorers' list twice, being Slovan Bratislava's top scorer.

The New Saints have been dominating the Wales football for quite a while, but in the great scheme of things this doesn't mean much. Had they been a truly competitive team, TNS would be playing in the English Premier league like Cardiff does, instead of encountering mediocre opponents round after round.

Key Facts

• This is the first time the two teams lock horns and the hosts are credited with the first chance to win the match by several goals.
• Milinkovic was the most prolific scorer for the Slovakian team last season despite the fact that he plays in the midfield.

Slovan Bratislava vs TNS Prediction

Betting on the hosts to cover the -1.5 goals spread at odds of 1.75 doesn't look like much, since there is no great value in these odds. On the bright side, Slovan Bratislava will probably steamroll past the opponents and cover the deficit fairly easy. Bold punters could pursue a broader spread, but conservative ones would be better off settling for 1.75 with 10Bet.

Bet: Slovan Bratislava -1.5 goals @ 1.75 with 10Bet