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Zrinjski and Slovan Bratislava will square off in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff tie on Thursday.
The hosts booked passage to this stage with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Kazakhstan outfit Tobol in the third qualifying round. Mario Cuze and Serges Deble scored in either half to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw, while Zrinjski secured a 1-0 home win in the first leg.
Slovan Bratislava dropped into the third-tier competition, having been eliminated from the UEFA Europa League qualifiers by Olympiacos. Both sides could not be separated after 210 minutes of action across the two legs, with the Greek champions progressing with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory.
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Bratislava bounced back from their continental disappointment with an emphatic 5-1 away victory over Mikulas in the Slovakian Liga on Sunday. David Hrncar scored a second-half brace to inspire the win for his side.
Zrinjski vs Slovan Bratislava Head-to-Head
The two sides met in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League qualifiers. They each won their respective home legs, with Bratislava progressing with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
Zrinjski form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-W-L
Slovan Bratislava form guide (all competitions): W-L-W-D-W
Zrinjski vs Slovan Bratislava Team News
Zrinjski
Irfan Hadzic is still ruled out with a long-term knee injury. Josip Corluka has served his one-game suspension and should be available for selection.
Injury: Irfan Hadzic
Suspension: None
Slovan Bratislava
Michal Sulla, Rabiu Ibrahim, Eric Ramírez and Marian Chobot are all unavailable due to injuries. Juraj Kucka is suspended for accumulating yellow cards, while Myenty Abena is suspended due to the red card he received against Olympiacos.
Injuries: Michal Sulla, Rabiu Ibrahim, Eric Ramírez, Marian Chobot
Suspension: Juraj Kucka, Myenty Abena
Zrinjski vs Slovan Bratislava Predicted XI
Zrinjski Predicted XI (5-4-1): Josip Condric (GK); Mario Ticinovic, Marin Magdic, Hrvoje Barisic, Igor Savic, Frane Maglica; Ivan Jukic, Niko Jankovic, Silvio Ilinkovic, Mario Cuze; Nemanja Bilbija
Slovan Bratislava Predicted XI (3-4-3): Adrian Chovan (GK); Vernon De Marco, Guram Kashia, David Hrncar; Jaromir Zmrhal, Jaba Kankava, Uche Agbo, Lulas Pauschek; Giorgi Chakvetadze; Andre Green, Tigran Barseghyan
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Zrinjski vs Slovan Bratislava Prediction
Slovan Bratislava are the historically superior team in this matchup but they have to perform at an optimum if they are to leave Bosnia with anything.
Home advantage gives Zrinjski an edge and we are backing the spoils to be shared in a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Zrinjski 1-1 Slovan Bratislava
