- Spartak Myjava stormed to the 2025/26 Slovak I. liga ženy title with 24 wins from 26 matches, scoring 135 goals and conceding just 14
- Mġarr United won the 2025/26 Assikura Women's League and the Malta Cup, making them current Maltese champions
- Carlyn E. Presley's hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Flora Tallinn lit up Mġarr's European debut and made the forward the danger woman in transition
Spartak can play with fire
Spartak Myjava are the odds-on favourite when they take on Mġarr United in the UEFA Champions League Women's qualification 2026-2027 fixture on Saturday, but Ryan Vella's side could be good enough to keep the game interesting.
The Slovakian side are 31/50 favourites here with the draw available at 31/10 and the Maltese champions way out at 183/50.
Iveta Neveďalová's side are the current champions of Slovakia and their 2025/26 title season was something of a steamroller. In winning 24 of their 26 league fixtures, they scored 135 goals and conceded just 14, while their domestic cup win over Slovan Bratislava at the end of last season was by a score of 3-0.
Maltese champions can be dangerous in transition
Spartak's pre-season form has been good, with a 3-0 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Cup final, then 4-0, 8-1 and 11-1 league wins before a 1-4 defeat to Slavia Praha last weekend. Their main finisher is the prolific Tamara Kramlíková, who scored multiple hat-tricks on their way to the 2025/26 title and can make the difference in big games like this.
But Vella's Mġarr side will not be as easy to cut through as that previous set of opponents and they arrive in Slovakia having won their opening European match against Flora Tallinn in the same convincing fashion.
The Maltese champions are compact in a 4-2-3-1 system that gets players behind the ball and relies on pace in transition to take the game to the opposition. Yulya Carella and Valania Villegas can operate at pace, while Josline N'Guessan has delivered decisive goals to help them clinch the double.
Over 2.5 goals looks good
Viktória Opálková's Spartak are the superior team on paper, but they can get caught on the counter and Mġarr's 4-0 win over Flora Tallinn should be encouraging for them here. Over 2.5 goals at 31/50 looks a decent price given Spartak's punchy attack and Mġarr's counter-attacking threat could make this a lively affair.
Spartak should come out on top in a close contest, but we like the fact that they will be up against a side that can get on the scoresheet and will make them work for their win.
