Midtjylland vs Slovan Bratislava prediction 21.08.2024 | Champions League

• Competition: Champions League Qualifiers, Playoff Round, 1st Leg
• Date: Wednesday, 21st August, 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: MCH Arena (Herning)

The Champions League Group stage is only one round away. Midtjylland are looking for their second-ever appearance on the Group stage, while Slovan is looking for their first in the club's history. Before the start of the duel, the bookies see the Danish champs as the favorite to reach the Group phase, offering odds around 1.5, while the odds on the Slovakian champs are around 2.5. The first leg will take place at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark.

In recent few seasons, Midtjylland have mostly been the best or the second-best team in Denmark. Last year, they won the title in a dramatic season finish, finishing just one point above the second-placed Brondby. This year, the popular Wolves once again look like one of the best teams in Denmark, as they won 11 points in five rounds and are tied with FC Copenhagen for first place. In the CL Qualifiers, they had an easy job in the 2nd round as they faced the Andorran champs but were impressive in the 3rd round, eliminating Hungarian champs, Ferencvaros.

Slovan have been a dominant force in Slovakia in recent seasons, winning six straight league titles. Last year, they dominated the league, as they left the second-placed Dunajska Streda 15 points behind. They also lost three of the last four games last year when it was already clear they won the title, and the difference could easily be 25+ points. This year, they started great in the domestic league, winning a maximum of nine points in the first three rounds. In the European Qualifiers, they had to start from the 1st round but had a pretty easy opponent through the Qualifiers as they faced Struga, Celje, and APOEL.

Midtjylland vs Slovan Bratislava pick: Under 2.5 goals

Both teams are in excellent form, keeping an undefeated record in all nine games so far this season. Even though they have been solid offensively, they impressed the most defensively. Midtjylland kept a clean sheet in five games, and mostly due to a good defense, they were under 2.5 goals in six of those nine games - 67%.

Slovan Bratislava were OK defensively at the start of the season, but as the season progressed, they only looked better. They kept a clean sheet in four of the last five matches! Their only conceded goal was in the last game against Kosice in a match where they heavily rotated the squad. Additionally, Slovan were much better offensively in the CL Qualifiers at their stadium. While they scored 11 goals at home in three games this season in Qualifiers, they only scored three times away from home.

Considering both teams' fantastic defensive displays and the importance of the game, we believe that an under 2.5 goal is the safest option for this Champions League playoff.