Differdange will take on Olimpija at the Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange in the second and decisive leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League first-round qualifying fixture on Thursday.
The first leg at the Stožice Sports Park in Ljubljana ended in a 1-1 draw, so it all comes down to how the two sides will handle themselves in this game. Aljaž Krefl's own goal gave Differdange a surprise lead in the ninth minute while Goran Milović scored the equalizer for the then-hosts.
Both teams have had a week to prepare for this crucial fixture and should be able to put in a solid display here. The play in the first leg was interrupted by the intrusion of some of the Olimpija ultras, who reportedly displayed their frustration over the appointment of new manager Albert Riera.
Differdange vs Olimpija Head-to-Head
Last week's first leg fixture was the first-ever encounter between the two sides. It was a closely contested game but Differdange failed to score from open play, something they will be hoping to work upon in this game.
Differdange form guide (all competitions): D-D
Olimpija form guide (all competitions): D-D-L-W-D
Differdange vs Olimpija Team News
Differdange
The home team have a clean bill of health for the the second leg.
Injury: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: None.
Olimpija
Captain Timi Max Elšnik pulled out of the game with health issues while Dino Špehar's knee injury worsened in the first leg and he is out for the remainder of the year.
The club secured the services of Portuguese winger Samuel Lopes Robalo Pedro last week but the player is not eligible to play in the second leg. He will be included in the squad if the team secures a place in the next round of fixtures.
Injury: Max Elšnik, Dino Špehar.
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: None.
Differdange vs Olimpija Predicted XIs
Differdange (4-4-2): Guillaume Cappa (GK); Théo Brusco, Juan Bedouret, Dylan Lempereur, Geoffrey Franzoni; Gianni Medina, Manuel Costa, Bertino Cabral, Guillaume Trani; Kevin D'Anzico, Gonçalo Almeida
Olimpija (4-3-3): Denis Pintol (GK); Justas Lasickas, Djordje Crnomarković, Goran Milović, Mateo Karamatic; Mario Kvesić, Marin Pilj, Agustin Doffo; Mustafa Nukić, Timi Elšnik, Ivan Prtajin
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Differdange vs Olimpija Prediction
Olimpija suffered the loss of two key players last week but have enough quality in their ranks to fill their shoes. Differdange failed to score in their previous leg but should be able to find the back of the net at home.
It is expected to be a slow game and will probably be decided after extra time, but given Olimpija's better experience in the European fixtures, they should be able to secure a win here.
Prediction: Differdange 1-2 Olimpija