Celje and Slovan Bratislava both aim to take a step closer to the league phase of the revamped Champions League as they clash in the first leg of their second-round qualifier on Wednesday night. The Yellow and Blues advanced from the first round by decisively defeating their Estonian opponents, while the Sky Blues comfortably overcame a team from North Macedonia.

Celje started their Champions League journey in the earliest stage, showcasing their offensive strength by defeating Flora Tallinn 7-1 over two legs. Despite a missed penalty, Aljoša Matko found the net twice in the tie and aims to surpass his tally of 20 goals from the 2023-24 season.

Since securing a matchup with Slovan Bratislava, Celje have begun their Slovenian Prva Liga title defense, winning their opening game against NK Bravo thanks to a Nemanja Jakšić own goal and an Armandas Kučys strike. Last season, the Yellow and Blues lost only five matches, clinching their second-ever league title with a 12-point lead over Maribor.

In the previous season, Celje navigated through the qualifying rounds of UEFA's third-tier competition, beating Vitoria de Guimaraes and Neman Grodno before falling to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the playoff round.

Slovan Bratislava, the reigning Slovakian champions for the past six years, are experienced in European competitions but have yet to reach the Champions League group stage. They began their European campaign with a first-round qualifier against Struga, winning 6-3 on aggregate.

Vladimir Weiss, aiming to celebrate his 60th birthday with Champions League fixtures, has been at the helm of Slovan Bratislava since May 2021, securing 96 wins in 161 matches. Veteran midfielder Juraj Kucka, who has played in various European leagues, scored twice in the first-leg win over Struga.

Slovan Bratislava have not started their domestic season yet, but they come into this match with strong away form from last season, losing only three of their 16 league games on the road.

Celje will likely revert to the starting XI that dominated Flora 5-0 in the first leg, with Mark Zabukovnik and Tamar Svetlin anchoring the midfield. Marco Dulca and Mario Kvesić are expected to drop out despite performing well in their last Champions League outing. Matjaž Rozman will continue as the first-choice goalkeeper.

Slovan Bratislava, despite conceding three goals against Struga, should stick with their centre-back trio of Kevin Wimmer, Guram Kashia, and Kenan Bajrić. Wing-backs Matus Vojtko and Cesar Blackman will provide width and attacking support.

Despite their impressive performance against Flora, Celje will face a tough challenge against the Slovakian champions. Slovan Bratislava will aim to secure a positive result on the road, and I predict they will take a one-goal advantage into the second leg.

周三晚上，切列和布拉迪斯拉发将在第二轮预选赛的首回合交锋，他们的目标都是更接近冠军杯的联赛阶段。黄蓝军决定性地击败了对手爱沙尼亚，从第一轮出线，而天空蓝军则轻松战胜了来自北马其顿的球队。

切列在他们的欧冠之旅的最初阶段，在两回合比赛中以7-1击败弗洛拉·塔林，展示了他们的进攻实力。虽然罚失点球，但Aljoša马特科在比赛中梅开二度，目标是超越他在2023-24赛季的20球纪录。

在与斯洛伐克布拉迪斯拉发队的比赛中，切列队凭借内马尼亚Jakšić的乌龙球和阿曼达斯·库<e:1>伊斯的进球，开始了他们在斯洛文尼亚甲级联赛的卫冕之路。上个赛季，黄蓝军只输了5场比赛，以12分的优势击败马里博尔队，获得了他们的第二个联赛冠军。

在上个赛季，切列顺利通过了欧足联三线联赛的资格赛，击败了维多利亚·德吉马良斯和格罗德诺，但在附加赛中输给了特拉维夫马卡比。

布拉迪斯拉发是斯洛伐克过去六年的卫冕冠军，他们在欧洲赛场上经验丰富，但还没有进入欧冠小组赛阶段。他们的欧洲之旅从第一轮预选赛对阵斯特鲁加开始，总比分为6-3。

弗拉基米尔·韦斯的目标是用欧冠比赛来庆祝自己的60岁生日，他自2021年5月以来一直执掌布拉迪斯拉发队，在161场比赛中取得了96场胜利。曾在多个欧洲联赛踢过球的中场老将库卡在首回合战胜斯特鲁加的比赛中梅开二度。

布拉迪斯拉发还没有开始他们的国内赛季，但他们在这场比赛中表现强劲，与上赛季相比，他们在16场客场比赛中只输了3场。

切列很可能回到首回合以5比0战胜弗洛拉的首发阵容中，扎布科尼克和斯韦特林将占据中场。尽管马尔科·杜尔卡和马里奥·克维西奇在上一场欧冠比赛中表现出色，但他们仍有可能退出。罗兹曼将继续担任主力门将。

布拉迪斯拉发队尽管在对斯特鲁加的比赛中丢了3个球，但他们应该继续使用他们的中后卫三人组凯文·温默、古拉姆·卡西亚和凯南·巴伊里奇。边后卫马图斯·沃伊特科和塞萨尔·布莱克曼将提供宽度和进攻支持。

尽管他们在对阵弗洛拉的比赛中表现出色，但切列将面临斯洛伐克冠军的严峻挑战。布拉迪斯拉发将致力于在客场取得一个积极的结果，我预测他们将带着一球的优势进入第二回合。