Slovan Bratislava took a savage beating on their debut in the Champions League proper and they could suffer another on matchday two as Manchester City's superstars come calling.
Our man Mark fancied Celtic to beat the Slovaks comfortably in Glasgow a fortnight ago and that's how it turned out as Brendan Rodgers' men romped to a 5-1 victory.
Vladimir Weiss' players looked lost in the Parkhead cauldron and it was a pretty brutal introduction to Europe's top table as the Slovan defenders were run ragged by Celtic's speedy forwards.
Now they face an even tougher challenge against arguably the best team in Europe as Manchester City look to spark back to life after a dip in form.
Pep Guardiola's side could only draw 0-0 at home to Inter Milan in their Champions League opener and have now failed to win their last three after further stalemates with Arsenal and Newcastle.
Injuries to Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne have played a big part in that but Guardiola still boasts a formidable team and it could get ugly for Slovan Bratislava if City get back in their stride here.
How the bookies view it: Slo hopers
Even though Slovan Bratislava have home advantage they are whopping 28/1 outsiders at Betano, which might be a record for a team hosting a Champions League game. Even the draw is massive at 12/1 and Manchester City's price is a tiny 1/22.
Head to head: First footing
These sides have never faced off before in European competition but Slovan don't have a great record against English sides, losing eight of the 12 matches and winning just two.
Players to watch: Foden straining at the leash
Guardiola has been using Phil Foden pretty sparingly so far this season and he had to settle for coming off the bench again against Newcastle. I'd imagine the England star will get a start here and he's a best 57/50 with Unibet for anytime scorer. He's also a tempting 5/1 at Bet365 to net from outside the box.
Playmaker Marco Tolic was the Slovan player who caught my eye the most at Parkhead in their opener. He has three goals this season and is a whopping 11/1 to grab another against City.
Probable line-ups
Weiss will probably stay loyal to the players who started at Celtic Park and give them a chance for redemption on home soil. Guardiola should make a few changes to freshen things up after a draining game at Newcastle. I'd be surprised if De Bruyne was risked here as the Belgian closes in on a comeback.
Slovan Bratislava: Takac, Kashia, Wimmer, Bajric, Blackman, Weiss, Tolic, Barseghyan, Kucka, Ignatenko, Strelec.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Gvardiol, Akanji, Lewis, Nunes, Doku, Foden, Savinho, Haaland.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's hard to see Slovan Bratislava's defence keeping City's forwards out and backing Guardiola's side to win a first half with over 1.5 goals could be worth a punt at 20/21 with Bet365.
Slovan stuck the boot in at Parkhead, with full-back Kevin Wimmer one of those who didn't hold back. He's 3/1 to go in the book again here at Be365 and that looks overpriced based on his display against Celtic. Over 32.5 booking points also looks great value at evens with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Slovan Bratislava and Manchester City will be played on Oct 1, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
