Shkendija face Ludogorets for the final ticket to the Europa League

Shkendija face Ludogorets for the final ticket to the Europa League, after both teams suffered humiliating defeats in the Champions League qualifications last week. Which Balkan side will make it to the League Phase?

It’s fair to say that Shkendija overachieved in the top-tier qualifications by reaching the penultimate round. Especially after taking out the Romanian champions, FCSB, with 3-1 on aggregate. But Qarabag proved to be an insurmountable challenge, hence the back-to-back losses with 6-1 on aggregate. And now, the Ballists enter yet another qualification round as significant underdogs.

Ludogorets have become a regular participant in UEFA’s competitions, reaching the group stage of either forum in 11 of the last 12 seasons. On rare occasions, they have made it even further, like reaching the Round of 16 in the EL in 2014.

The Bulgarian side suffered a 3-0 loss away at Ferencvaros to kill their ambitions for Champions League football, but their international experience will be key against a far smaller side like Shkendija.

Shkendija have had few opportunities to perform internationally and have never met Ludogorets in a competitive fixture. This will be the first clash between the two Balkan sides.

Few players in the two squads have left a lasting impression with their performance so far, which makes picking a betting target far more difficult.

Shkendija’s Fabrice Tamba has been improving with every match and has risen to the occasion multiple times in the qualis. His goal helped the team beat TNS in the first round, and then he scored Shkendija’s only goal away at Qarabag last week. He will be Ludogorets’ biggest worry in this match.

Meanwhile, we should put some respect on Ivaylo Chochev’s name. The 32-year-old veteran has a huge role in Ludogorets’ midfield this season and already has three goals across all competitions.

Probable line-ups
Shkendija: Gaye, Trumci, Cake, Fetai, Webster, Tamba, Ramadani, Alhassan, Zejnullai, Krasniqi, Ibraimi.

Ludogorets: Padt, Nedyalkov, Kurtulus, Verdon, Son, Chochev, Duarte, Kaloc, Marcus, Caio, Bille.