18.00 23 Jul 2015 -
Referee:
Europa League Preview: UCD -v- Slovan Bratislava
- Dave Donnelly
- Thu, Jul 23 2015
UCD
UCD may feel they missed their chance in this tie after playing much of the away leg in Bratislava with an extra man following the first-half dismissal of Nicholas Gorosito for a horror tackle on Robbie Benson.
The Students had chances to win the game, and arguably should have been awarded a penalty shortly after the red card, but eventually succumbed to an 84th-minute winner from Adam Zrelak.
The lack of an away goal means Slovan hold most of the aces going into the second-leg in Belfield. However, UCD will be confident after winning their last European home game against F91 Dudelange courtesy of Ryan Swan's first half injury-time goal, and will be hopeful of replicating that result, or better, tonight.
UCD manager Collie O'Neill said: "We've already proved a lot of people wrong, but we know how tough it is going to be. I think Slovan Bratislava probably underestimated us a little bit but I don't think they are going to underestimate us.
"We have to score, so we can't be too defensive. Our plan worked for what we set out to do last week but this is a different game, this is our home patch, and we'd like to take the game a little bit more to Slovan."
The only major injury concern remains full-back Ryan McLaughlin, who continues to recover from a broken hand sustained after a fall in the shower following the first-leg against Dudelange, while his replacement in Luxembourg, Sean Coyne, is still suspended following his sending-off that day.
SLOVAN BRATISLAVA
Slovan Bratislava will be relieved to have emerged from the first-leg in Slovakia a goal to the good. The heavy favourites managed to dominate the game in spite of their one-man disadvantage, but there was a deal of fortune in the manner of Zrelak's late winner.
As with BATE in Dundalk last night, if Slovan underestimated the challenge posed by their Irish opponents, they're unlikely to do so again and will look to score early and end the tie as a contest as soon as possible to set up a third-round encounter with Russian side Kuban Krasnodar.
"We must avoid making the same mistakes that we did in the first-leg. We have been successful in scoring goals in away matches, so hopefully we can do that," Slovan manager Jan Svehlik said at the team's press conference on Wednesday.
The visitors will be without Nicholas Gorosito after his red card in the first-leg, but have a full compliment otherwise, and may opt to promote goalscorer Zrelak to the starting line-up.
Referee: Ognjen Valjic (BIH)
MATCH STATS
UCD play their fourth tie of the season in Europe, their longest-ever run, and already registered their first-ever win in European competition when they beat Dudelange at the UCD Bowl.
Slovan are perennial participants in the early rounds of European competition and have reached the group stages of this competition twice in the past five seasons, including 2014-15 when they surpassed Shamrock Rovers' ignominious title of worst-ever performance at that stage by losing all six group games, scoring just once in the process.
Slovan are also the only Slovak club to win a UEFA competition, winning the 1968/69 Cup Winners' Cup with a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in the final which took place at the old St. Jakob Stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
BETTING
UCD 11/2; Draw 9/2; Slovan Bratislava 2/9.
PREDICTION
UCD 1-3 Slovan Bratislava.
UCD
Injured: Ryan McLaughlin, Greg Sloggett.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Sean Coyne.
Slovan Bratislava
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Nicholas Gorosito.