Jagiellonia Bialystok prepares to face Backa Topola at Chorten Arena on Thursday in the Conference League round of 16 playoff tie with the intention to defend their first-leg victory.
On February 13 Jagiellonia Bialystok achieved their first leg victory 3-1 although Prestige Mboungou scored for Backa Topola in the early minutes the home team's response through Jesus Imaz then two late goals gave them a solid advantage for the return match.
During the first leg Jagiellonia Bialystok dominated the match through creating five big chances and generating 2.28 xG and taking 11 shots within the penalty area.
The Polish side fights for first position in Ekstraklasa with Lech Poznan since each team holds 41 points as they pursue their second straight Polish league victory.
Boss Adrian Siemieniec will be satisfied his team advanced to the Conference League but will admit to being disappointed about not reaching the Round of 16 automatic qualifications because they finished league play in ninth position with 11 points behind Cercle Brugge through inferior goals scored.
The recent games of Jaga showed a strong performance as they secured four victories and drew two matches and lost only two games while recording ten consecutive victories and a standard of no defeats in their last fifteen matches.
Chorten Arena hosts matches in which their team has never suffered defeat while being undefeated in its last 11 appearances and only losing once by more than three goals in their 14 European tournament fixtures at home.
During the first leg Backa Topola managed to score their only goal at the 28th minute before finishing the match without additional shots until the 83rd minute with only 0.25 xG.
Manager Jovan Damjanovic's team has struggled defensively, conceding 11 goals in their last four matches and nine in their past three Conference League games. The hosts currently sit 11th in the Serbian top flight, having accumulated 28 points from 23 matches and suffering 11 defeats, a stark contrast to their third-place finish in the 2022-23 season.
Damjanovic's side enters the second leg on a disappointing run of four consecutive defeats. Their performance in the Conference League has been underwhelming, with only two wins in seven matches, alongside four losses and one draw.
The Lions have also faced difficulties on the road, securing just one victory in their last eight away outings. In European competitions, they have managed to win only one of their eight away matches, losing six and drawing one during that period.
