Valmiera welcome Olimpija Ljubljana to the Jana Dalinia stadions for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round on Wednesday (July 19).
Olimpija hold the advantage in the tie, claiming a 2-1 home win in the first leg in Slovenia last week. Mustafa Nukic and Rui Pedro scored in either half, while Meissa Diop stepped off the bench to give his side a lifeline in the 87th minute.
Valmiera followed up their continental defeat with a routine 2-0 home win over Super Nove in the Latvian Cup. Ruan Ribeiro and Alioune Ndoye scored first half goals to guide their side to the next round.
They will channel their focus back to Europe as they seek to overturn their deficit. The winner of this tie face Ballkani or Ludogorets in the second qualifying round.
Valmiera's late goal in the first leg gave them a lifeline to hold on to ahead of returning to the comfort of home advantage. Their routine win in the cup last weekend puts them in good stead for the return leg, but they have the odds stacked against them, as they're yet to win a game on the continent.
Olimpija, for their part, have a narrow advantage to protect, and a goal in the second leg will put them closer to qualifying for the next round. The Slovenian side tend to be involved in high-scoring games, so another goalfest could be on the cards.
Although either side could nick a win, the spoils could be shared in a high-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Valmeira 2-2 Olimpija
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
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