The UEFA Champions League match between New Saints and Hacken will take place at Park Hall at 11:30 pm IST on Tuesday.
Hacken will look to maintain their 3-1 advantage as they face The New Saints in the second leg of their Champions League first-round qualifying clash on Tuesday. The reigning champions of the Swedish Allsvenskan and domestic cup displayed their superiority in the previous encounter at Bravida Arena.
The New Saints have been consistent representatives of Wales in Europe’s top competition since 2000 but have had limited success in the Champions League qualifying rounds. They reached the third round only once in the 2010-11 season, losing to Anderlecht. In their recent match against Hacken, the New Saints struggled early, conceding two goals within 13 minutes. Although they managed to pull one back, Hacken extended their lead shortly after. Now, the 15-time Welsh champions face a tough challenge in the upcoming match in Shropshire. An early goal could unsettle their unproven opponents at this level.
Hacken, who won their first Swedish top-flight title last season, are making their debut in the Champions League. Malmo has shown that Swedish teams can reach the group stage, achieving it three times in the last decade, but no other team has done so since 2000-01 when Helsinborg managed it. Since taking over as manager in 2021, Per-Mathias Hogmo has transformed Hacken from relegation strugglers to domestic league and cup champions. Now, he aims to make an impact on the European stage and will guard against complacency as they seek to progress to the second round of qualifying on Tuesday.
The New Saints probable starting lineup: Roberts, Davies, Pask, Astles, Daniels, Redmond, Brobbey, Williams, Marriott, McManus, Holden
Hacken probable starting lineup: Abrahamsson, Fridriksson, Sandberg, Hovland, Lund, Si. Gustafsson, Sa. Gustafsson, Rygaard, Sadiq, Trpcevski, Sana
The New Saints
| Opponents | Score |
| Hacken | 1-3 (L) |
| Macclesfield | 1-0 (W) |
| Cardiff | 1-3 (L) |
| Hamilton | 1-2 (L) |
| Crusaders | 4-1 (W) |
Hacken
| Opponents | Score |
| Brommapojkarna | 4-2 (W) |
| Hacken | 3-1 (W) |
| AIK | 2-1 (W) |
| Norrkoping | 2-2 (D) |
| Djurgarden | 0-1 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Hacken beat TNS | 3-1 |
The UEFA Champions League match between New Saints and Hacken will take place at Park Hall at 11:30 pm IST on Tuesday.
| New Saints vs Hacken | Key Details |
| Date | July 18 |
| Venue | Park Hall |
| Kickoff time in Wales | 7:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Sweden | 8:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:30 pm |
Football fans in United Kingdom can catch the live action via S4C Clic while those in Sweden can watch the match via Sport Bladet Play.
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