Having lost the first leg 2:0 in Slovakia, Tobolm Kostanay face a mountain to climb, but they will, nevertheless, try to score an early goal and make this tie interesting again. Slovan completely outplayed their opponents in the first match and are now looking to record another win to qualify for the next round in style.

Tobol on the downtrend

Founded as Avtomobilist in 1967, Tobol Kostanay was given its current name in 1995, but it was in 2002 that the club have seen a major uptrend in fortunes. The club from Kostanay have established themselves as one of the best sides in Kazakhstan and following seven straight top 3 finishes and one 4th-place finish, Tobol finally won the Premier League title last season. However, instead of reinforcing the squad so that they could have a role to play in European competitions, the club were unable to hold on to their key players, meaning they enter this season severely weakened. The perfect proof of team’s quality is the fact that with just two games to go, Tobol sit in 7th place in the overall standings, no less than 17 points behind leaders Astana. Taking all this into consideration as well as the poor performance in the first leg, it is highly unlikely that Tobol will fare any better in this match.

Coach Sergei Petrenko is unlikely to make big changes to the side that started the first leg.

Slovan on fire

Slovan Bratislava are without a doubt the best team in Slovakia, with their domestic double last season the perfect proof. The Slovakian giants won the league title in style, finishing the campaign seven points clear of second-placed Senica, following the amazing 12-match winning run. The club management faced a tough task of keeping hold of their key players after such a successful season, but they not only managed to persuade key striker Filip Sebo to reject a proposal from Bundesliga high-flyers Hannover, but also produced quite a coup by signing Jiri Kladrubsky from Sparta Prague. Slovan easily won the first leg against Tobol, despite having Juraj Halenar sent off midway through the second half and everything suggest the Slovakians will win this match as well.

Juraj Halenar is suspended after receiving a red card in the first leg, with Marko Milinkovic expected to replace him in the starting line-up.

Verdict

Tobol did win the league title in Kazakhstan last season, but they are now in the bottom half of the league table and they clearly lack the quality to match a side like Slovan. The Slovakians are in great form at the moment and they should have no problems recording a double win over Tobol.

Our prediction: Away win

Odds: 1.67 (2/3)

Bookmaker: Bodog