Pen-y-Bont vs FC Santa Coloma - prediction, team news, lineups

Pen-y-Bont and FC Santa Coloma volition conscionable astatine the Cardiff City Stadium connected Thursday evening for the archetypal limb of their Conference League archetypal qualifying circular tie.

The hosts person mislaid astatine this signifier successful each of their 2 anterior qualifying attempts, portion the visitors person won each of their past 3 archetypal qualifying circular ties successful the Conference League.

Match preview

Pen-y-Bont competed successful European contention for the archetypal clip successful 2023-24, falling to a Conference League archetypal qualifying circular decision to upcoming foes FC Santa Coloma, who secured a 3-1 aggregate victory. 

Bont returned to Conference League qualifying successful 2025-26, erstwhile again losing successful the archetypal round, suffering a 4-1 aggregate decision to Kauno Zalgiris. 

Rhys Griffiths, who has been successful complaint since 2016, has present guided Pen-y-Bont backmost to the Conference League qualifiers for the 3rd clip and 2nd consecutive season, having won the JD Cymru Premier play-off final. 

Goals successful either fractional from Chris Venables and Mael Davies secured a 2-0 triumph implicit Haverfordwest County, ensuring Bont volition person the accidental to vie successful Europe yet again. 

Bont volition beryllium hoping to advancement from the archetypal qualifying circular for the archetypal time, and they volition gully assurance from playing the archetypal limb successful beforehand of a location assemblage - having remained undefeated successful their 2 erstwhile location qualifying fixtures successful this competition. 

However, Bont volition look a acquainted hostile connected Thursday, and 1 that emerged victorious the past clip the 2 sides met. 

Santa Coloma were held to a 1-1 gully successful the first-leg of their Conference League archetypal qualifying circular necktie with Bont successful 2023-24, earlier being taken to extra-time successful the 2nd leg. 

Santa Coloma did yet look victorious, with extra-time goals from Ivan Garrido Ciaurriz and Cristian Novoa securing a 2-0 triumph and 3-1 aggregate triumph. 

That triumph was Santa Coloma's 2nd of 3 consecutive archetypal qualifying circular victories successful the Conference League, having defeated Mons Calpe 5-1 connected aggregate successful 2021-22 and Borac Banja Luka 4-3 connected aggregate past season. 

Victor Vazquez volition beryllium hoping to support Santa Coloma's flawless qualifying grounds successful the Conference League archetypal circular erstwhile they instrumentality connected Bont, starting with Thursday's fixture. 

While the visitors are heading into the lucifer arsenic the favourites connected paper, they person struggled successful caller matches, winless successful their past 5 and suffering 3 consecutive defeats anterior to Thursday's game. 

Pen-y-Bont signifier (all competitions):

D L L D W W 

FC Santa Coloma signifier (all competitions):

W D D L L L

Team News

Pen-y-Bont secured their spot successful the Conference League qualifiers with a 2-0 triumph implicit Haverfordwest County successful the JD Cymru Premier play-off final, and Griffiths whitethorn opt to sanction a akin broadside successful their archetypal qualifying fixture connected Thursday. 

Venables opened the scoring connected that day, portion the striker was besides connected the scoresheet the archetypal clip these 2 sides met successful 2023, and the guardant volition beryllium looking to adhd different extremity astatine the Cardiff City Stadium.

Meanwhile, Santa Coloma person present mislaid each of their past 3 matches, and manager Vazquez whitethorn determine to marque changes successful hunt of a affirmative effect connected Thursday. 

Guillaume Lopez is expected to support his spot successful the team, with Santa Coloma hopeful that past season's apical scorer tin marque the quality here.

Pen-y-Bont imaginable starting lineup:

Higgs; Clay, Ludvigsen, Borge; Davies, Cvetkovic, Pritchard, Baker, Wood; Cann, Venables

FC Santa Coloma imaginable starting lineup:

Alcaraz; Padilla, Guti, San Nicolas, Andrade; Lopez, Barrenetxea, Arjona, Villar; Lopez, Munoz

We say: Pen-y-Bont 1-2 FC Santa Coloma

Pen-y-Bont are unbeaten astatine location successful Europe and are successful stronger signifier than their visitors, but Santa Coloma are surely the stronger squad connected insubstantial and should yet overpower their opponents and unafraid the victory.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.