Celje – The New Saints

Slovenian champion should secure a convincing win over visitors Wales

Last season Celje became Slovenian champions, winning the title for the first time since 2020. That is, the Slovenians started their European Cup journey in the Champions League qualification. However, in both the elite European tournament and the Europa League, Celje crashed out in the very first rounds. In the Champions League, they were defeated in Slovakia by Slovan Bratislava, who is now participating in the general stage. In the Europa League, the Slovenians were beaten by Shamrock Rovers, who later still travelled to the continent's third-tier tournament. New Saints, too, as champions of their country, travelled from the main European Cup to the least important one. Despite the fact that their Slovenian rival is not currently in the playoff zone, the Welsh team has a worse position, sitting in 32nd place with four consecutive defeats in the tournament. Bookmakers have identified the home team as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.39 on their victory. Celje in five rounds of the Conference League have demonstrated the difference in the level of performance at home and away. Away from home, the Slovenian champions lost all three matches against Guimarães, Betis and Paphos. At home, however, Celje performed well, defeating Başakşehir 5-1 and drawing 3-3 with Jagiellonia. Interestingly, the Slovenian club has the same results in the domestic league. In the first round of the Slovenian league, they finished second in home games and fourth in away games. Given that New Saints will probably be Celje's weakest opponent in the Conference League, the hosts will definitely be setting themselves up for a win. New Saints themselves have never qualified in 25 previous starts in European football tournaments. This season, by qualifying for the overall stage of the Conference League and winning one of the home matches in the overall stage, can already be considered outstanding for the team. After the victory over Astana in the first round, the team never came close to picking up points in the next four meetings. Even Swedish Jurgården lost 0:1 at home to New Saints, without once hitting the opponent's goalposts. Let's bet on a confident victory for the home team.