APOEL vs Slovan Bratislava prediction 13.08.2024 | Champions League

• Competition: Champions League Qualifiers, 3rd Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Tuesday, 13th August, 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UK / 19:00 CEST
• Venue: Neo GSP Stadium (Nicosia)

After a 2:0 win for Slovan in the first leg, APOEL and Slovan Bratislava will face off in the second leg of the third rod of the Champions League Qualifiers. The games will take place at Neo GSP Stadium in Nicosia.

APOEL are the greatest team in Cyprus. However, their latest championship came after a five-year drought, and they only edged out AEK Larnaca for the title due to a better head-to-head record. In Europe, APOEL have had little success lately, as they have failed to make the Group stage of any European competition since the 2019/20 season. This year's European journey started from the second round, where they beat Moldavian champs, Petrocub, but much harder than expected (on a 2:1 aggregate). Now, after losing the first leg 2:0, the bookies give them almost no chance to reach the next round, offering odds between 4.8 and 5.25.

Slovan Bratislava are by far the best Slovakian team in recent years, having won six consecutive league titles. Last year, they did it in a dominant fashion, finishing 15 points above the second-placed Dunajska Streda. In Europe, Slovan were pretty successful, reaching the group phase in four of the last five seasons and reaching the Conference League knockout phase in the previous two years. However, they are still chasing their first Champions League (Group Stage) appearance and this could be their year. If they finish the job and advance to the Playoff round, Slovan will place against Midtjylland or Ferencvaros.

APOEL vs Slovan Bratislava pick: Under 2.5 goals

APOEL are a team that mostly plays low-scoring games. They were under 2.5 goals in all three Champions League Qualifiers and five in a row if we count the last three pre-season games as well.

In the first leg, Slovan were much better at creating chances, but it seems they lack the quality upfront to convert them. Even though two scored goals look pretty good at first glance, one of those was an auto goal by Raca Petrovic, and the other was a stunning strike by Mak, which is unlikely to be repeated. On the other hand, APOEL had very few chances and managed to shoot just once on the goal. Now, we believe Slovan will slow the pace as they have a two-goal advantage and look for their chances from the counters.

Before the first leg on August 7th, these teams had already met twice, with both games finishing under 2.5 goals. Considering the previous h2h games and all the above, an under 2.5 goals should be the safest option for the upcoming tie.