The New Saints head to Slovenia with a slim chance of qualification to the Conference League knockouts, but with hopes that they can get another win in what has already been a historic campaign.
With them facing a side who may be unknown to many Cymru Premier fans, here is everything you should know about last season’s league champions NK Celje, with insight from a Slovenian professional footballer who has already played against another Welsh team this season.
History
NK Celje were founded in 1919 and since Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 have been ever-present in their country’s top league (Prva Liga).
For many of these post-1991 years, they have been a midtable side in the league,with only a solitary cup win in 2005 as their sole achievement.
This all changed in the 2019/20 season, where they won their first Prva Liga title. Following on from this they were champions last season, with 24 wins in 36 games.
Manager
Their manager is a former player who may be remembered by some Premier League fans. Albert Riera played for Liverpool and Manchester City to name but a few, as well as featuring 16 times for the Spanish national team.
He finished his career in Slovenia, where he has spent the bulk of his short management career.
Starting off at Galatasaray as assistant, Riera moved back to Slovenia to take the main job at Olimpija Ljubljana in 2022. Despite a shaky start where he got forced out of his first press conference by the club’s ultras, he finished his first season with a league title to his name.
Albert left after the expiry of his one-year contract, and moved to Celje in July 2023, before leaving for Ligue 2 side Bordeaux after only 17 games at the club.
With Bordeaux being a team Riera played for; he enjoyed some success despite financial troubles, guiding his team to a 12th place finish in the French second tier.
After the French side declared bankruptcy at the end of the season, the Spaniard returned to Celje for the 2024/25 season.
Current Season
As reigning champions, it hasn’t been the best start for Riera in his return to the club.
With the season at its halfway point and having recently started a winter break, Celje still have a decent but far from guaranteed hope of back-to-back titles for the first time ever.
They sit in fourth, but only eight points behind leaders Olimpija. With only three teams qualifying for Europe, it will be a tight finish to the season for them in the race for continental qualification.
European Pedigree
They have been on and off in European competitions, with this season marking their first ever time in a group stage.
Last season they knocked out Vitoria from Portugal over two legs but fell at the playoff stage against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In similar fashion to TNS, they dropped down through the competitions to eventually make it through the Conference League playoff round, with a 4-2 aggregate win over Armenians Pyunik sending them through.
Shamrock Rovers are the only team who have faced both, with the Irish runners-up having beaten Celje 3-2 on aggregate and TNS 2-1 in a one-off game, suggesting that it could be a close matchup.
The Slovenian side have had a very difficult draw, with their only win coming courtesy of a very impressive 5-1 home win against Istanbul Basaksehir from Türkiye but sit above TNS following a 3-3 draw to Jagiellonia from Poland.
Insight from a Prva Liga player
Winger Tais Sabotic featured for another Slovenian team against a Welsh team this season, coming on in the second leg for NK Bravo against Connahs Quay Nomads earlier on in the competition.
While Bravo ended up going through, they were made to work hard by Nomads and the game is one that has been mentioned to Celje by Slovenian journalists as a cautionary tale to not be complacent against a Cymru Premier side.
Sabotic offered some insight into how he found playing a Welsh team in Europe and gave his score prediction.
Did you have any knowledge of Welsh football before playing Connahs Quay and what were your thoughts on their standard after playing them?
I had no knowledge of Welsh football, it was my first time watching and playing with this kind of opponent. This was for sure a high level of football and I am grateful to have experienced it.
What would you say is the difference in quality is between Welsh and Slovenian football from your experience?
I think the difference is the tempo of the match and positioning is very different in both leagues, I would say that Welsh league is more physically dominant than Slovenian.
As a team, what are NK Celje good at?
Nk Celje is a complete team with good players at every position, they have very tall centre backs which can be dangerous when corners are taken. Their attack is also very dangerous.
Could you name a couple of NK Celje’s players who you think are the best in their team, and describe their qualities a bit?
Zan Karnicnik is a national team player with good passing and great endurance, Svit Seslar is a technical player with great vision and good left foot, Aljosa Matko is a great goalscorer and a fast winger.
Score prediction for NK Celje v TNS
2:1 Celje
(Featured Image: Ratipok)
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