Slovan vs Zrinjski: UEFA Champions League Prediction (23.07.2025)

On Tuesday, July 23 at 01:15 WIB, Slovan Bratislava will host HŠK Zrinjski Mostar at Tehelné pole Stadium in Bratislava in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League 2025–2026 qualifying clash. The Slovakian side enters the competition at this stage as the reigning national champions. Meanwhile, the Bosnian team not only won their domestic title but also advanced past Virtus from San Marino in the earlier qualification round.

In the first leg between Slovan and Zrinjski, bookmakers consider the hosts clear favorites. A win for the “Sky Blues” is priced at 1.69, while their odds to qualify for the next round are 1.64. For Zrinjski, the odds for a match win and qualification are 4.85 and 2.25, respectively. Analysts expect a moderately high-scoring game in Bratislava: over 3.5 goals is offered at 1.86, and both teams to score is priced at 1.83.

Slovan

Vladimír Weiss has been managing the Bratislava side for more than four years now. And why change a coach who delivers success every season? Slovan has won the league title seven years in a row. Last summer, the “Sky Blues” successfully navigated all four qualification rounds to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage. However, they lost all eight group matches, with a combined goal difference of 7:27. But facing elite teams like Bayern, Milan, and Atlético is still a memorable experience for Slovak fans. This season, the objective remains the same — to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

Zrinjski

Mario Ivanković took over as head coach last summer. Under his leadership, Zrinjski reclaimed the Bosnian and Herzegovinian league title and also won the national Supercup. Last summer, the team’s European campaign ended in the final qualifying round of the Conference League, suffering a heavy 0–7 aggregate defeat to Portugal’s Vitória Guimarães. It’s clear that reaching the Champions League group stage is an unlikely dream, but for this humble Bosnian club, every European match is a matter of pride.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

The two clubs met in the summer qualifying rounds of the Conference League and Champions League in 2022 and 2023. Slovan progressed both times, as expected, though Zrinjski put up a competitive fight on each occasion.

Prediction

The favorite should take full advantage of the home leg to settle the tie early. Therefore, the recommended pick is a Slovan win at odds of 1.69.