Preview: Rakow Czestochowa vs. Aris Limassol - prediction, team news, lineups
:Headline: Preview: Rakow Czestochowa vs. Aris Limassol - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League clash between Rakow Czestochowa and Aris Limassol, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Rakow Czestochowa will be bidding to claim a first-leg advantage when they welcome Aris Limassol for the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round contest on Tuesday night.
The home side dispatched Qarabag in the last stage of the competition, while Limassol thumped BATE Borisov 11-5 on aggregate to book their spot in the third qualifying round.
Match preview
Rakow are the reigning Polish champions, winning the top division for the first time last season with 75 points, which saw them book their spot in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
Dawid Szwarga's side were eliminated in the playoff round of the Europa Conference League in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and it would be a huge achievement if they were able to put themselves in contention to advance to the group stage of the Champions League.
Rakow have had to navigate their way through two ties to reach this stage, beating Flora 4-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round before recording a 4-3 success over Qarabag in the last round.
The Polish champions must now overcome Limassol over two legs in order to advance to the playoffs, which would put them in touching distance of securing a spot in the group stage of the European Cup.
Szwarga's team are already two games into their new domestic season, and they will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Warta Poznan on Saturday, which moved them onto four points.
Limassol, meanwhile, will not begin their domestic campaign until August 18 against AEK Larnaca, so the Cypriot outfit can fully focus on this two-legged affair.
The Light Brigade won the top division in Cyprus last season, which saw them book their spot in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, so they have had to win just one tie to advance to this stage.
Aleksey Shpilevsky's side would have been expecting a difficult two-legged affair with BATE, but Limassol put themselves in a commanding position by running out 6-2 winners in the first leg on home soil.
The Cypriot outfit then won the reverse match 5-3 to secure an 11-5 aggregate victory, with the team cruising into the third qualifying round of the European Cup.
Limassol, who won the Cypriot First Division for the first time last season, failed in the second qualifying round of last season's Europa Conference League, losing to Neftci Baku.
Rakow are expected to be without the services of John Yeboah, who had to be replaced in the first half of the contest with Qarabag and then missed out against Warta Poznan at the weekend.
Lukasz Zwolinski has been in excellent form for the Polish side this season, finding the back of the net on five occasions, and the 30-year-old will again feature in an attacking position.
Bartosz Nowak could get the nod as the centre-forward for the home side, while Fran Tudor, who has already made six appearances this season, should also be in the XI.
As for Limassol, head coach Shpilevskiy could select the same side that took to the field for the second leg of their contest with BATE last time out.
Yannick Gomis has made a strong start to the season, already finding the back of the net on three occasions, and the 31-year-old is set to continue in the final third of the field.
Leo Bengtsson has contributed two goals in his opening two appearances of the campaign, meanwhile, and the attacker should also retain his position in the XI here.
This two-legged affair should be very tight, and we are expecting a close match on Tuesday. Rakow will be bidding to claim an advantage on home soil, but Limassol will enter the game full of confidence, and we are backing a low-scoring draw in the first leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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