Slovan Bratislava will need a small miracle to advance to the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. In the first leg Ajax Amsterdam crushed Slovan 5:0 on home soil , and as the two teams square off on Thursday for a return match in Bratislava, the odds for Slovan seem to be insurmountable.

The reigning Slovak champion faces tough luck, by having to face Ajax on Thursday without their key players Branislav Obzera and Jan Kozak ml. The first suffered an injury in the first game against Ajax and had to be substituted in the 18th minute of the game.
In the last weeks Slovan delivers a very unstable performance and the surprising defeat against Tatran Presov on Tuesday in the 7th round of the Slovak Corgon League only confirms the downwards trend. Slovan´s trainer Dusan Uhrin had to pay for the unsteady performances of his team and resigned earlier this week. His successor Michal Hipp will face a very difficult task on Thursday, if he wants to get off to a successful start.

Ajax on the other hand can rely on solid performances from the last two weeks and more importantly on the current incredible form of forward Luiz Suarez, who scored 9 (!) goals in the last 4 games. Suarez, who scored four goals against Slovan in the first leg, will be eager to add a few more in Bratislava and knock the reigning Slovak champion out of this years Europa League.

Slovan Bratislava vs Ajax Amsterdam

Fixture:  Thursday, August 27th 2009, 18:30 CET
Stadium: Bratislava, Tehelne pole
Referee: Costas Kapitanis (CYP)

Tip: Ajax Amsterdam will score an easy win against injury plagued  Slovan Bratislava. The fact that Luiz Suarez appears to be in peak  form and Slovan lacks defensive depth makes it hard to bet against Ajax.

My tip is 2

The highest odd is on myBet with 2.00