- CSKA 1948 are unbeaten in five games but have drawn four in a row.
- Trnava are in the better form with three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five games.
- Trnava have been more clinical in the last five with six wins, two draws and two defeats from their previous 10 in all competitions.
A clash of styles at Vasil Levski
FC CSKA 1948 and FC Spartak Trnava drew 0-0 in the UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 to set up a closely fought second-leg clash in Bulgaria this Tuesday. It is a clash of contrasting styles with CSKA looking to strangle their opponents in the middle of the field and burst forward with pace while Trnava are pressing high with more of a free-flowing system. Sasho Aleksandrov's side are the more compact of the two with a physical 4-1-4-1 that is based on controlling the centre of the pitch and a direct vertical game. They have no real speed on the wings and rely on their striker to get behind the opposition with Mamadou Diallo, the danger man, with two goals in the last five matches. Antonio Munoz's Trnava are a much more open side in that they play with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation that is designed to transition from attack to defence and vice versa at high speed. They are a bit stronger on the wide areas and will look to overload the flanks to get crosses into the box for their forwards to do the rest.
Trnava’s touch of quality gives them an advantage
CSKA 1948 are a tough nut to crack and it is hard to see Trnava having a free shot at the goal for long enough to really hurt the hosts, but the visitors are in the better nick overall and have a touch of brilliance to take advantage of any slip up from the home side.
CSKA have a home record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in all competitions while Trnava have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three away matches this season. The game flow of CSKA's home games has been controlled and tight with only 0.50 goals per game scored and 0.25 conceded while that of Trnava's away games has been free-flowing and open at 1.67 goals scored and 1.67 goals conceded.
CSKA 1948 are the more likely to win at 2.1 compared to the draw at 3.35 and Trnava at 3.4, which seems a bit out of kilter given they have drawn their last three matches in a row. CSKA have more control of the ball at home and should nick the win if they can find some bite to their play, but with two 0-0 draws in the mix of those last three stalemates the draw looks viable to me.
Under 2.5 goals at 1.62 fits nicely into the overall pattern of this fixture and Both Teams To Score - No at 1.75 also suits the set-up of both teams in that Trnava cannot get the ball into the goal area often enough to hurt CSKA while CSKA lack the firepower to break through Trnava.
