Slovan Bratislava vs AC Milan facts

There are contrasting moods at Slovan Bratislava and AC Milan as they meet in Slovakia on UEFA Champions League Matchday 5.

While Slovan are one of five clubs to have lost all four games to date – against Celtic (1-5 a), Manchester City (0-4 h), Girona (0-2 a) and GNK Dinamo (1-4 h) – Milan have climbed the table after a slow start. The seven-time European champions lost 1-3 at home to Liverpool on Matchday 1 and 0-1 at Bayer Leverkusen in their second fixture, but then beat Club Brugge 3-1 at San Siro before a memorable 3-1 win at holders Real Madrid on Matchday 4.

Previous meetings

1992/93 Champions League second round
Slovan 0-1 Milan
Milan 4-0 Slovan
Paolo Maldini scored the only goal in Bratislava before Milan – who went on to reach the final – booked their place in the inaugural Champions League group stage thanks to second-leg strikes from Zvonimir Boban, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Simone and Jean-Pierre Papin.

Form guide

Slovan

Record vs Italian clubs: W4 D1 L5 F7 A15
Home record vs Italian clubs: W3 D0 L2

Slovan have not played an Italian club since the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage, when they lost home (0-2) and away (0-3) against Napoli.

A 1-0 home win against Roma in the 2011/12 Europa League qualifying play-off first leg (2-1 aggregate) is Slovan's only victory in their last six games against Serie A sides (D1 L4). They had won three of their first four (L1).

This is the first time Slovan have featured in the Champions League proper. Indeed, they are only the fourth Slovakian club to appear, after Košice (1997/98), Petržalka (2005/06) and Žilina (2010/11).

Slovan made their 12th appearance in Champions League qualifying – and a sixth in succession – this season, coming through four qualifying rounds. They beat Struga in the first (4-2 h, 2-1 a), Celje in the second (1-1 a, 5-0 h) and APOEL in the third (2-0 h, 0-0 a). That set up a play-off against Midtjylland, and after a 1-1 first-leg draw in Denmark, Slovan triumphed 3-2 in Bratislava thanks to late goals from Marko Tolić (82) and Tigran Barseghyan (86).

Slovan are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Aston Villa, Brest, Bologna and Girona.

In 2023/24, the Bratislava side came through two qualifying rounds before losing to Maccabi Haifa in the third (2-5 aggregate) to move into the Europa League qualifying play-offs, where they went out 4-7 on aggregate against Aris Limassol. That sent them into the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they eventually lost to Sturm Graz in the knockout round play-offs (1-5 agg).

Slovan won their first four home European matches this season – scoring 14 goals – as many as in their previous 13 games (D6 L3), before losing to City and Dinamo.

The Sky Blues claimed their 30th league title in 2023/24.

Milan

Record vs Slovakian clubs: W3 D0 L1 F6 A1
Away record vs Slovakian clubs: W1 D0 L1

Their 1992 matches with Slovan aside, Milan's only other meeting with a Slovakian club came in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup first round, when they beat Lokomotiva Košice 7-6 on penalties after each side had won 1-0 at home.

Milan are making their fourth successive appearance in the Champions League and a 21st overall.

The Rossoneri were Champions League winners in 1994, 2003 and 2007 and runners-up in 1993, 1995 and 2005.

The seven-time European champions reached the knockout rounds for the first time since 2013/14 in 2022/23 but last season finished third in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, going on to the Europa League quarter-finals where they lost an all-Italian tie against Roma.

Milan have won only 11 of their last 35 Champions League games (D9 L15). The Matchday 4 victory at Real Madrid was just their fifth in 19 away matches (D6 L8).

Milan were second in Serie A in 2023/24, the third time in four seasons they had finished in the top two.

Stefano Pioli was replaced in the summer after five years as Milan coach, Paulo Fonseca appointed as his successor.

Links and trivia

Juraj Kucka played for Milan between 2015 and 2017, scoring four goals in 59 Serie A games. He also played for Genoa (2010–16) and Parma (2018–21).

Vladimír Weiss played for Pescara in 2012/13, scoring four goals in 22 Serie A games.

David Strelec played in Serie A for Spezia from 2021 to 2023 and on loan at Serie B side Reggina in 2023.

Latest news

Slovan

Slovan have won 11 of their 14 league games in 2024/25 (D2 L1) including four in a row before Friday's 1-1 draw at Košice.

Tigran Barseghyan has 11 goals in 14 league appearances including the equaliser at Košice.

David Strelec scored twice in a 3-1 home win against Skalica on 9 November and has five in his last five Slovan appearances.

Slovan have lost just five times in 29 games in all competitions this season, but conceded 20 goals in those defeats.

Strelec got the only goal as Slovakia beat Estonia in the UEFA Nations League on 19 November.

Cesar Blackman scored in Panama's 2-2 draw at home to Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final second leg on 18 November, setting up a 3-2 aggregate win.

Kevin Wimmer started on Friday having not played since going off with a muscle injury in the first half of a 3-2 win at Skalica on 30 October.

Juraj Kucka started on 26 October having been out since Matchday 1 but subsequently underwent knee surgery, returning as a half-time substitute on Friday.

Milan

Milan made it successive draws on Saturday as they were held 0-0 at home by Juventus.

On 9 November, Milan twice led at Cagliari but ultimately had to settle for a 3-3 draw.

Rafael Leão's double made it 50 Serie A goals for the Rossoneri.

Leão opened the scoring for Portugal in a 5-1 UEFA Nations League win against Poland on 15 November.

Samuel Chukwueze scored for Nigeria in a 1-2 home defeat against Rwanda in CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 18 November.

Christian Pulišić opened the scoring as the United States beat Jamaica 4-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final second leg on 18 November.

Matteo Gabbia started on Saturday having been out since Matchday 3 with a thigh injury.

Ismaël Bennacer (out since September, calf) and Alessandro Florenzi (August, knee) have both been ruled out until 2025.