FK Vardar vs KuPS - prediction, team news, lineups

Back successful UEFA Champions League qualifying for the archetypal clip since 2017/18, FK Vardar statesman their European run with the assurance of a broadside that mislaid conscionable doubly each play erstwhile they big KuPS astatine the Tose Proeski Arena successful Skopje connected Tuesday evening successful the archetypal limb of the archetypal qualifying round.

The Finnish visitors get afloat of confidence, presently apical of the Veikkausliiga and carrying their ain momentum from an awesome caller tally that included a 4-0 distant triumph implicit HJK Helsinki.

Match preview

Vardar caput into Tuesday’s archetypal limb connected the backmost of a ascendant home campaign, winning the 2025/26 Macedonian First League with 83 points from 25 wins and 5 draws - losing lone doubly crossed the full season.

Cristian Fabbiani’s broadside person won each of their past 7 matches, scoring 23 goals successful that series and conceding conscionable erstwhile crossed their past 8 games.

Tuesday’s fixture marks Vardar’s instrumentality to the Champions League qualifying signifier for the archetypal clip since 2017/18, erstwhile they reached the 3rd qualifying circular earlier losing 4-1 distant to their opponents successful the 2nd leg, having won the archetypal limb 1-0 astatine home. 

That exit is simply a achy memory, and the existent squad volition beryllium driven by the tendency to spell further this clip around.

Cristian Fabbiani was appointed successful precocious May arsenic the caller caput manager pursuing the club’s determination to portion ways with Goce Sedloski, and Tuesday’s archetypal limb volition beryllium his archetypal lucifer successful charge.​​

Home signifier has been the cornerstone of their success, with Vardar unbeaten successful 19 of their past 21 location matches crossed each competitions, keeping cleanable sheets successful 40% of their past 30 location fixtures.

Across their past 15 matches successful each competitions, Vardar person averaged 2.13 goals scored per crippled portion conceding conscionable 0.4, numbers that overgarment the representation of a broadside successful formidable shape.

KuPS get successful Skopje arsenic leaders of the Veikkausliiga aft 15 games, having accumulated 30 points from 8 wins, six draws and 1 defeat.

Miika Nuutinen’s broadside person won three, drawn 1 and mislaid 1 of their past 5 matches, with the decision coming connected penalties pursuing a goalless gully successful the Suomen Cup quarter-final.

Their astir caller league outing produced a commanding 4-0 distant triumph implicit HJK Helsinki, which demonstrated KuPS’s quality to question and get points connected the road, and they transportation 11 goals from their past 5 matches into Tuesday’s clash - an attacking output that gives Vardar’s defence a genuine trial to navigate.

The necktie does transportation a cautionary enactment for KuPS, however. In the 2025/26 Champions League qualifying campaign, Nuutinen’s broadside won their archetypal limb 2-0 against FK Kairat earlier suffering a 3-0 decision successful the instrumentality fixture.

FK Vardar signifier (all competitions):

KuPS signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Fabbiani is expected to sanction a beardown broadside fixed the value of the occasion, with Vardar looking to found a commanding vantage connected location ungraded earlier the 2nd limb successful Finland.

Davor Taleski is acceptable to commencement successful goal, with Mislav Matic and Darko Velkovski expected to supply the antiaircraft instauration successful cardinal defence down him.

Azer Omeragic is expected to pb the attacking line, with Goran Zakaric providing width from the helping and Dimitar Danev acceptable to diagnostic successful a midfield relation arsenic Vardar look to power the tempo of the archetypal leg.

KuPS caput into the necktie without immoderate important wounded concerns, and Nuutinen is expected to tract a beardown and competitory lineup arsenic the Finnish broadside look to instrumentality location with a favourable result.

The backmost 4 of Clinton Antwi, Brahima Magassa, Arttu Lotjonen and Akseli Puukko is expected to supply the antiaircraft operation down a midfield trio of Petteri Pennanen, Valentin Gasc and Gustav Engvall.

Pennanen arrives successful good form, having scored a brace successful his astir caller outing and volition beryllium looking to transportation that goalscoring momentum into Tuesday’s European fixture.

In attack, Jaime Moreno - who has scored 8 goals this play is expected to pb the line, with Bob Nii Armah providing a menace from the helping arsenic KuPS look to marque the astir of their attacking quality.​​

FK Vardar imaginable starting lineup:

Taleski; Jankulov, Matic, Velkovski, Najdovski; Babunski, Nikolov; Todorovski, Danev, Zakaric; Omeragic

KuPS imaginable starting lineup:

Kreidl; Antwi, Magassa, Lotjonen, Puukko; Pennanen, Engvall, Gasc; Armah, Moreno, Heiskanen

We say: FK Vardar 3-1 KuPS

Vardar’s seven-match winning run, formidable location grounds and the affectional value of their archetypal Champions League qualifying quality successful 8 years should harvester to nutrient a ascendant first-leg show astatine the Tose Proeski Arena connected Tuesday.

KuPS person the attacking prime to trial their defence, but with Vardar conceding conscionable erstwhile successful their past 8 matches, the hosts are backed to support it choky astatine the backmost and instrumentality a commanding pb into the 2nd limb successful Finland.

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