Olimpija Ljubljana welcome Polissya Zhytomyr to Stadion Stozice for the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second round qualification tie on Thursday (July 25th). The home side are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 home win over Primorje in their opening game of the Slovenian Prva Liga last weekend.
Reda Boultam and Dino Kojic scored in either half to help The Dragons kick-start their new campaign with a win.
Zhytomyr, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw against Episentr in a friendly. They were two goals down at the break courtesy of goals from Danylo Kravchuk and Evgeniy Zaporozheta. However, second half goals from Pylyp Budkivsky and Oleksandr Nazarenko saw the two sides cancel each other out.
The Ukrainians will now turn their focus to Europe and booked their spot at this stage of the Conference League courtesy of their fifth-placed finish in the Ukrainian Premier League last season. Olimpija are here due to their third-placed finish in the Prva Liga.
The winner of this tie will face the loser of the UEFA Europa League qualification tie between Elfsborg and Sherif Tiraspol.
Olimpija vs Polissya Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
- Four of Polissya's last five competitive games have produced less than three goals.
- Five of Olimpija Ljubljana's last six games have seen at least one side fail to find the back of the net.
- Ljubljana have won just one of their last five home games in UEFA club competitions.
- Ljubljana's last five home games in UEFA competition have seen one side keep a clean sheet.
Olimpija vs Polissya Prediction
Olimpija made it to the group stage of the Conference League last season and the club would be looking to repeat the feat this term. They started their domestic campaign on a positive note and will be confident of claiming the win here.
Polissya played top-flight football for the first time in their history last season. They defied expectations to secure continental football. This is a club that was dissolved in 2006 and that highlights their progress in recent years.
The game is likely to be cagey but we are backing the home side to claim a narrow win in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: Olimpija 1-0 Polissya
Olimpija vs Polissya Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Olimpija to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No