Luis Enrique Once Stumbled Against Slovan. Peter Štepanovský Remembers Rome: "No One Believed in Us Either"

Slovan is no stranger to the Spanish coach, as he faced them during the 2011/2012 season while managing AS Roma. The "Sky Blues" advanced from the third qualifying round with a 2-1 aggregate score, reaching the group stage where they also played against PSG, securing a goalless draw at home.

At that time, Vladimír Weiss Sr. was at the helm for the Bratislava side. Slovan triumphed 1-0 in the Slovak capital thanks to a goal from Martin Dobrotka, and winger Peter Štepanovský secured the equalizer in the return leg in Rome.

"It's ironic that Slovan will now play against AS Roma, a team we eliminated, and in the same EL group that season, we also had Paris. Those are wonderful memories. Eliminating AS, especially in their stadium, was something fantastic. I was practically with Slovan since high school and have countless memories with the club.

The most beautiful was probably that goal in Rome and our progression. That goal has practically followed me throughout my entire career. Everywhere I transferred, it was written and talked about," Štepanovský recalled for sport24.sk.

PSG are overwhelming favorites, and anything other than a victory would be a major surprise this season. "Slovan will have a very tough challenge. It's Paris Saint-Germain, after all. They are a huge and wealthy club. I don't want to write them off, but I think this is an opponent against whom it will be very difficult to achieve anything," the 38-year-old native of Skalica honestly remarked.

"However, in football, you never know. No one believed we could advance past AS Roma either. Even though we won at home, everyone expected us to concede four or five goals there. We rallied, fought with all our might, and it worked out," he emphasized.

For ŠK Slovan Bratislava, the very long and demanding previous season for the French champions could be an advantage, as they reached the European throne only at the end of May, and many players also participated in the World Cup. "Perhaps they are still tired. Anything can happen. If Slovan defends well and responsibly, they might get a counter-attack, and a surprise could happen," Štepanovský revealed his recipe.

He believes his former teammates will secure their first points in the Champions League group stage, as they failed to do so two years ago, and this time the draw was a bit more favorable.

"However, in the Champions League, there are no weak opponents, and all clubs there are of high quality. If we disregard the giants they will face, I think Slovan will earn some points this year. These will be balanced matches. I'm curious myself, and let's see what happens," he added.