SLOVAN BRATISLAVA v AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW | OneFootball

Undisputed leaders in top flight of Slovak football, bottom of the table in Europe. Športový Klub Slovan Bratislava are deservedly back in the highest level of European Competition this season after many years of absence and falling short in various preliminary rounds. Their last participation in the Champions League came in the 1992/93 season when the Slovak side were eliminated by the rossoneri, losing 5-0 on aggregate. Getting here was not a simple task for Weiss' side, who had to beat Struga, NK Celje, APOEL Nicosia and Midtjylland - in that order. All of the first four matches have ended in defeat, from the 5-1 loss away to Celtic to begin the European campaign, to the 1-4 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their most recent outing. They have also lost 0-4 to Manchester City and 2-0 away to Girona. Their main source of confidence comes from their domestic form, Slovan are top of the Superliga with 35 points from 14 matches - after eleven wins, two draws and one defeat. Winning the domestic top flight has become a common occurrence, especially when the side from the Slovak capital have won the last six league titles. The Champions League is therefore an important step to show their growth.

MORE ATTACK THAN DEFENCE, PHYSICALITY IN COMMAND Offensive and propositional attitude in the domestic league, more attentive and prudent in Europe. The value in terms of goals conceded is therefore higher in both competitions, in Superliga they have conceded 17 goals in 14 matches, in the Champions League they have conceded 15 goals in four games. Slovan Bratislava are a physical, intense and experienced side - their average age is 29 compared to 26.7 for the rossoneri. They are a tidy unit who rely on the ability of a few individuals to create in offensive situations. The Head Coach Weiss, until this moment, has almost always employed a 4-2-3-1 formation, alternating it on rare occasions with 3-4-2-1 - as seen against Girona.

They have only managed to hold a lead against Dinamo Zagreb, and have conceded at least once in all of the first halves that they have played in their European games, becoming unstuck against Celtic, City and Dinamo. The last match against the Croatian side could be seen as the most damaging, because after Strelec put Slovan ahead in the fifth minute, the Slovak side wasted different chances and were punished by Zagreb, winning 1-4 despite having an inferior xG (1.5 compared to Slovan's 1.7). Football brings surprises, and if the individual talent within the side does not excel, the onus will be on others to play well and provide. The Slovak side will rely on the compactness of their group and the boost from their home crowd at the Štadión Tehelné pole.

KASHIA LEADER FROM THE BACK, STRELEC AND BARSEGHYAN ARE THE ATTACKING DANGERS Experience and efficiency, the Slovak defence is led by Guram Kashia, the 37 year old Georgian Defender. The defender is ranked first when it comes to number of clearances in the Champions League, these 26 occasions have put at the top of this particular leaderboard. Behind him between the sticks in Dominik Takáč, the Slovak keeper saved a penalty from Cristhiasn Stuani and has made 21 saves - only Mike Maigna (26) and Emiliano Martinez (22) have made more.

In the Champions League Dávid Strelec and Kevin Wimmer are the only players to have scored, while in the domestic league Tigran Barseghyan is the top scorer with eleven goals, followed by Strelec on eight goals. The Slovak and Armenian are the only two undroppable players up front for Weiss. Marko Tolić is the creative force, assisting a lot of goals. A special mention goes to the ex-rossonero Juraj Kucka, who started on the first day but has missed out since due to injury.

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