Zrinjski Mostar and Virtus will wrap up their UEFA Champions League qualifying tie with a meeting at Stadion pod Bijelim Brijegom on Tuesday.

The hosts have a strong two-goal advantage from last week's first leg and are well-positioned to advance in front of their fans.

Match preview

In a first-ever European meeting between teams from Bosnia & Herzegovina and San Marino, Zrinjski held their nerve to claim a 2-0 victory over Virtus and put one foot in the second round of the Champions League playoffs.

Mario Ivankovic's men were in the ascendancy for large spells of the contest but needed to wait until the verge of the half-time whistle to break the deadlock through Nemanja Bilbija, who also sealed the deal with his second of the game in the 78th minute.

Tuesday's game was only Zrinsjki's second outing since May, and it was no surprise to see them take on FK Arsenal in a friendly matchup on Friday, which ended in a 2-0 triumph.

Zrinjski will now set out to continue their quest for a second-ever appearance in a major European competition on home turf, where they have won six of the last seven competitive matches.

Tuesday's hosts will need to be breached at least two times to throw away their first-leg buffer, and when you consider the fact they have kept clean sheets in five of their last seven matches, everything points to a straightforward assignment in Mostar.

Virtus strolled to a league and cup glory in May, but the prospect of facing off against teams from other nations on continental duty was always going to be the real test of how far they had come since last season.

Before their most recent defeat against Zrinjski, Luigi Bizzotto's men were on a stunning 31-game unbeaten run across all competitions, winning 24 times and drawing seven.

Virtus looked to be coping well with the threat posed by their Bosnian counterparts before a lack of concentration saw them concede moments before the half-time whistle, and there was always going to be only one winner from that point.

Following a rare blank last time out, Virtus now pick themselves up in front of goal as they plot the unlikeliest of comebacks away from home, where they are, however, without defeat since October 2024.

Zrinjski Mostar Champions League qualifying form:

Zrinjski Mostar form (all competitions):

Virtus Champions League qualifying form:

Team News

Nemanja Bilbija has found the back of the net five times in his last five games for Zrinjski Mostar, making the 34-year-old one to keep an eye on here.

New arrival Tyler Burey was handed his full debut last time out just one week after arriving as a free agent, and he is expected to retain his place in the hosts' lineup.

Roberto Sabato is a doubt for Virtus after coming off with an injury scare 10 minutes into the second half of last Tuesday's first leg.

Should Sabato be deemed unfit to participate, Nicola Gori is the favourite to feature at left-back, with Manuel Battistini manning the other full-back position.

Zrinjski Mostar possible starting lineup:

Karacic; Mamic, Barisic, Susic, Memija; Ivancic, Savic; Pranjic, Kis, Burey; Bilbija

Virtus possible starting lineup:

Passaniti; Battistini, Rinaldi, Lucia, Sabato, Amati, Montanari, Buonocunto; Lombardi, Benincasa, Zulli

We say: Zrinjski Mostar 3-1 Virtus

Zrinjski can afford to take their foot off the gas a bit here, but an opportunity to deliver a statement of intent in front of their fans looks too good to pass up.

We are backing the hosts to run out comfortable winners at the end of the 90 minutes.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Adepoju Marvellous

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