Dynamo Kiev vs Universitatea Cluj - prediction, team news, lineups

Lublin Arena successful Poland volition signifier the archetypal limb of a Europa League first-round qualifier betwixt Dynamo Kiev and FC Universitatea Cluj connected Thursday night.

The victors of this two-legged contention volition travel up against PAOKin the 2nd qualifying circular astatine the extremity of this month.

Match preview

Dynamo Kiev are the astir palmy squad successful Ukrainian shot with 17 top-flight titles, but they had to settee for a fourth-placed decorativeness past season, with champions Shakhtar Donetsk finishing 15 points supra them astatine the summit.

The Blue and Whites person been regular competitors successful European competition, featuring successful 19 antithetic Champions League campaigns and 11 successful the Europa League. However, they mislaid successful the playoff circular of the second contention to Maccabi Tel Aviv past season.

Ihor Kostyuk’s broadside subsequently dropped into down into the Conference league wherever they won 2 and mislaid 4 of their six League Phase matches, failing to advancement to the knockout rounds.

Dynamo Kiev did, however, triumph the Ukrainian Cup past play and they person since taken portion successful 5 affable fixtures this summer, winning three, drafting 1 and losing one. A 3-1 decision to Rapid Bucuresti was followed by a 2-0 triumph implicit LASK Linz past Friday.

Universitatea Cluj, meanwhile, failed to triumph immoderate of their 3 friendlies implicit the past fortnight, with a 0-0 gully with Ujpest followed by back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Vojvodina Novi Sad and Nyiregyhaza Spartacus.

The Romanian broadside narrowly missed retired connected their archetypal top-flight rubric past season, arsenic they finished 2nd successful the array and lone 4 points down champions Universitatea Craiova, who besides bushed them successful the Romanian Cup last connected penalties.

Cristiano Bergodi has been successful complaint since October 2025 and helium is starring his squad into their first-ever Europa League qualification campaign. Universitatea Cluj reached the 2nd qualifying circular of the Conference League past season, losing 2-1 connected aggregate to Ararat-Armenia.

Universitatea Cluj person antecedently competed successful the 1972-73 UEFA Cup, portion the reached the past 16 successful the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup backmost successful 1965-66 aft winning the Romanian Cup successful the erstwhile play – their lone large honour.

Dynamo Kiev signifier (all competitions):

Universitatea Cluj signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Dynamo Kiev’s Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Mykola Mykhaylenko, Reshat Ramadani, Roman Salenko and Vladyslav Kabaev are each acceptable to miss Thursday’s crippled owed to injury.

Goalkeeper Ilya Olkhovyi, right-back Tomasz Kedziora and guardant Pierre Mounguengue person each signed for Dynamo Kiev this summer, the second joining from PSG connected a escaped transfer, and the trio are disposable for selection.

Nineteen-year-old Matviy Ponomarenko scored a team-high 16 goals past play and is expected to commencement successful attack, perchance alongside 36-year-old winger Andriy Yarmolenko who finished with 12 goals successful the 2025-26 season.

As for Universitatea Cluj, Alin Chintes is nursing an unspecified injury, but the remainder of Bergodi’s squad, including 8 caller signings, should beryllium acceptable to spell for Thursday.

Centre-back Andrei Coubis has joined from Sampdoria connected a imperishable ground aft a palmy indebtedness spell past season, and helium could beryllium handed a commencement successful the bosom of the defence alongside Iulian Cristea.

Pedro Pinho, Alibek Aliev, Friday Adams and Marius Stefanescu are each caller recruits who could diagnostic successful immoderate capacity, portion striker Jovo Lukic - past season’s apical scorer with 20 goals successful 39 games - is acceptable to pb the line.

Dynamo Kiev imaginable starting lineup:

Olkhovyi; Kedziora, Popov, Mykhavko, Dubinchak; Pikhalyonok, Brazhko, Shaparenko; Yarmolenko, Ponomarenko, Voloshyn

Universitatea Cluj imaginable starting lineup:

Lefter; Mikanovic, Cristea, Coubis, Silva; Drammeh, Simion; Macalou, Bic, Gheorghita; Lukic

We say: Dynamo Kiev 2-1 Universitatea Cluj

Dynamo Kiev volition backmost themselves to marque the nett ripple connected Thursday, arsenic they person scored successful each of their past 9 competitory and non-competitive matches, netting 10 goals crossed their 5 affable fixtures.

Universitatea Cluj surely person the credentials to origin problems for Dynamo Kiev, but we are backing the Ukrainian broadside to summation a slender first-leg advantage.

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