Will the Belasí not let anything burn in North Macedonia?
In the clash between two national champions in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25, everything went in the direction of the Slovakian title holders in the first leg. However, the North Macedonian champions struck back with a brace to level the scores at 2:2 before the Belasí finally secured a 4:2 home win. So if Struga’s bet on the North Macedonians winning at home to Slovan Bratislava by at least a two-goal margin does not work out, the Slovaks will advance to the next round as expected, while Struga would be relegated to the Conference League qualifiers
In principle, Struga’s prediction against Slovan Bratislava that the favored Slovaks will advance is also under a good star. However, the North Macedonian champions’ Ibraimi brace in the first leg also showed how quickly things can go when concentration wanes. With seven senior internationals who recently played for Slovakia and Georgia at the European Championship and Panama at the Copa América, the Belasí are still lacking automatism and familiarity.
However, the Slovakian champions naturally have a much better-known squad. Not a single senior international can be found in the ranks of the North Macedonian champions, who only reach the level of a mediocre German third division team in terms of the overall market value of the squad. Slovan Bratislava should therefore be able to overturn the two-goal lead from the first leg with a concentrated defensive performance.
As FC Struga also lack the offensive resources, we expect the second leg to be much tougher and with fewer goals than the first leg. Accordingly, it makes sense to bet on under 2.5 goals this time, despite the total of six goals scored last week. However, since a heated second half cannot be categorically ruled out, it would be a coherent and also lower-risk alternative to bet on under 1.5 goals in the first half via the Happybet app.
Struga – Statistics & current form
FC Struga – actually Fudbalski Klub Struga Trim-Lum – was more or less created on the drawing board just nine years ago. Trim & Lum, a company specializing in real estate based in Struga in North Macedonia, only founded the club in August 2015, but took a very serious and ambitious approach from the outset.
The result is that the club, which initially started out in the fourth tier, was promoted to the country’s top division in the summer of 2019 and became champions in 2023/24 after 2022/23. The next milestone in the club’s short history is now set to be reaching the group stage of a UEFA competition
So far, Struga have had little to gain internationally
However, the footballers from the small town in the south-west of North Macedonia, located at the outflow of the Black Drin from Lake Ohrid, are still a long way from that. They have won just three of their eleven competitive international matches (two draws, six defeats)
The last four defeats in a row in competitive European matches. To make matters worse, a win in the second leg against Slovan Bratislava may not be enough. After all, the 4-2 defeat means that a two-goal lead alone would be needed to force extra time
Can Struga defy the underdog role once again?
The odds are clearly against Struga against Slovan Bratislava, although the Reds had already accepted their underdog role in the first leg. After all, all the experts were expecting a crystal-clear home win for the Slovaks, which initially proved to be the case.
However, after trailing 2-0, 37-year-old veteran Besart Ibraimi hit back with a brace and equalized the game away from home in the Slovakian capital, before lacking both the quality and the physicality to keep up with the Belasí in the final phase. Nevertheless, the comeback shows that the visitors should by no means take this second leg in the south-west of North Macedonia lightly.
Predicted line-up from Struga:
Dujmovic – Vosha, Krivanjeva, Ristevski, Radic, Vlajkovic – Ukpa, Jetvoski, Shabani – Ibraimi, Maleski
Slovan Bratislava – Statistics & current form
Slovan Bratislava are not only the Slovakian record champions and record cup winners, but also enjoyed several resounding successes before Slovakia gained independence from the former Czechoslovakia. In addition to numerous national titles, the Belasí (which translates as “sky-blue”) have also been successful at international level.
In the summer of 1969, the team from the only capital city in the world that borders more than one neighboring country (Austria and Hungary) won the European Cup Winners’ Cup. In that year’s final, they beat none other than the great FC Barcelona 3:2.
Slovan Bratislava with convincing performances in Europe recently
The Belasí’s international appearances have also been impressive in the recent past. In 2022/23, they won their group in the Conference League ahead of Zalgiris, Pyunik and FC Basel. In 2023/24, the Slovaks again secured second place in the preliminary group in the Conference League with Olimpija Ljubljana, OSC Lille and Faroese upstarts KI Klaksvik
The Belasí are now aiming to reach the group stage for the third year in a row, but would also like to make the leap into the Champions League. They already reached the 3rd qualifying round a year ago
What’s in it for the powerful squad this year?
LUnder coach Vladimír Weiss, a powerful squad has been formed, which, with a total of seven senior internationals, should be strong enough to cope with the other national champions of the associations ranked 25th to 55th in the UEFA rankings, who are currently competing in the Champions League qualifiers.
Players such as 33-year-old Robert Mak, 34-year-old Vladimir Weiss and 37-year-old Juraj Kucka – all three scored in the first leg – provide the experienced foundation, while 19-year-old Nino Marcelli is regarded as one of Slovakia’s biggest talents and 23-year-old goalscorer David Strelec, a big name from Spezia Calcio, was also signed this summer. In short, the mixture is right, which is why it would be a big surprise if the 1969 European Cup winners were to fall at the first hurdle in North Macedonia.
Predicted line-up for Slovan Bratislava:
Trnovsky – Wimmer, Bajric, Kashia, Pauschek – Weiss, Kucka, Savvidis, Tolic, Mak – Strelec
Struga – Slovan Bratislava head-to-head / H2H record
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 1
Slovan Bratislava’s 4:2 home win last Wednesday marked the first and only competitive international match ever played between the two teams. The Belasí are therefore narrowly ahead in the head-to-head comparison and will now visit North Macedonia for the first time ever for a competitive match
Struga – Slovan Bratislava betting tip
In the second leg of Struga v Slovan Bratislava, the betting odds of the best bookmakers also favor the Slovakian champions, who have significantly more quality in their ranks with seven senior players. The North Macedonians, on the other hand, do not have a single international player and, purely in terms of the market value of their squad, are at the level of a mediocre German third division team. The task facing the North Macedonian champions against the renowned Belasí in front of their home crowd will be correspondingly tough
In our predictions for Struga against Slovan Bratislava, we don’t want to be blinded by the six goals scored in the first leg, which were partly due to the circumstances of the game. Because we expect a visiting team that is in the comfortable position of being able to keep things tight at the back and lurk for counter-attacks at the front, because a 0-0 or even a 0-1 away defeat would be enough to progress if necessary, it should be a rather tough and low-scoring second leg.
Our recommendation therefore goes for the under bet. Bet-at-home offers odds of 2.25 for under 2.5 goals to be scored, which we play with four out of ten units
