KuPS vs FK Vardar - prediction, team news, lineups

Holding a commanding 2-0 vantage from the archetypal leg, KuPS instrumentality to location ungraded connected Tuesday day with 1 ft already successful the adjacent circular of UEFA Champions League qualifying erstwhile FK Vardar sojourn the Kuopio Football Stadium for the 2nd leg.

Vardar indispensable present overturn the shortage distant from home, having already been reduced to 10 men precocious successful the archetypal leg, portion KuPS get buoyed by their effect successful Skopje and the cognition that triumph connected Tuesday would erase achy memories of past season’s illness successful the 2nd circular of qualifying.

Match preview

KuPS caput into Tuesday’s 2nd limb successful an enviable position, having secured a 2-0 triumph astatine the Tose Proeski Arena last week acknowledgment to goals from Brahima Magassa and Bob Nii Armah - a effect that gives Miika Nuutinen’s broadside afloat power of the necktie heading into the location leg.

Vardar’s task was made harder erstwhile midfielder Nemanja Bosancic was shown a reddish paper successful the 76th infinitesimal for a 2nd bookable offence, leaving the Macedonian champions with 10 men for the last 4th of the archetypal limb and incapable to equine immoderate meaningful response.

That triumph extended KuPS’s unbeaten tally successful regular clip to 13 matches, with the lone decision successful that series coming successful a punishment shootout against VPS successful the Suomen Cup quarter-final.

Currently apical of the Veikkausliiga, level with Inter Turku connected 30 points from 15 games, KuPS get astatine Tuesday’s fixture successful fantabulous home signifier arsenic well, having won 4 and drawn 1 of their past 5 matches crossed each competitions.

The cautionary communicative of past play volition not beryllium acold from the minds of the KuPS players and staff, however. 

Having won the archetypal limb 2-0 against Kairat Almaty successful the 2025/26 qualifying run 2nd round, Nuutinen’s broadside were eliminated aft losing the 2nd limb 3-0 - a illness that volition guarantee determination is nary complacency astatine the Kuopio Football Stadium connected Tuesday careless of the vantage they transportation into the match.

Vardar get successful Finland needing to execute what nary broadside has managed against KuPS successful their past 13 competitory outings successful regular time, and bash truthful distant from home.

Since their past competitory home fixture astatine the extremity of May, Vardar had played 2 affable matches - winning 1 and drafting the other, earlier heading to Skopje for the archetypal limb against KuPS.

Cristian Fabbiani’s archetypal competitory lucifer arsenic Vardar caput manager did not spell to program successful Skopje, and the Argentine volition present request to animate a melodramatic turnaround connected the road.

The Macedonian champions won the 2025/26 First League rubric with 83 points from 33 games, losing conscionable doubly crossed an full home season, and that pedigree earned them their spot successful Champions League qualifying for the archetypal clip since 2017/18.

However, their first-leg show suggested the measurement up to European shot has exposed vulnerabilities that Fabbiani indispensable code rapidly if their European escapade is to continue.

KuPS Champions League form:

W

KuPS signifier (all competitions):

LDWWWW

FK Vardar Champions League form:

L

Team News

For Vardar, Bosancic volition service his one-match suspension having been sent disconnected for 2 yellowish cards successful the 76th infinitesimal of the archetypal leg.

Mihail Manevski could travel into the starting lineup astatine near back, having featured from the seat successful the archetypal leg, portion Mislav Matic and Darko Velkovski are expected to proceed successful cardinal defence.

Boban Nikolov and Miguel Pires are acceptable to diagnostic successful midfield, with Ian Puleio perchance dropping to the seat arsenic Fabbiani looks to find the close equilibrium for a lucifer successful which Vardar indispensable people astatine slightest doubly without conceding.

Azer Omeragic and Goran Zakaric volition transportation Vardar’s superior attacking work and volition request to nutrient their champion show of the European run if the Macedonian broadside are to person immoderate realistic accidental of overturning the deficit.

For KuPS, Joslyn Luyeye-Lutumba remains suspended, serving the 2nd lucifer of a two-game prohibition imposed by UEFA pursuing a consecutive reddish paper for convulsive behaviour successful a erstwhile Europa Conference League fixture against Lech Poznan.

Johannes Kreidl is expected to proceed successful goal, with Kasim Nuhu and Magassa forming the cardinal antiaircraft concern again, shielded by a midfield successful which Petteri Pennanen and Valentin Gasc are acceptable to feature.

Jaime Moreno is expected to pb the KuPS onslaught erstwhile again, with Gustav Engvall and Tommi Jyry providing enactment from the helping arsenic Nuutinen’s broadside look to adhd to their aggregate pb aboriginal and enactment the necktie beyond doubt.

KuPS imaginable starting lineup:

Kreidl; Puukko, Magassa, Nuhu, Antwi; Gasc, Pennanen; Jyry, Engvall, Armah; Moreno

FK Vardar imaginable starting lineup:

Taleski; Puleio, Matic, Velkovski, Jankulov; Torres, Nikolov, Castaneda, Pires; Omeragic, Zakaric

We say: KuPS 2-0 FK Vardar

Vardar indispensable people astatine slightest doubly without reply to unit other time, and their first-leg show - reduced to 10 men and incapable to make wide chances gives small denotation they person the tools to nutrient specified a turnaround connected the road.

The representation of past season’s illness against Kairat should guarantee KuPS attack Tuesday’s 2nd limb with the professionalism and absorption the juncture demands - Nuutinen’s broadside are backed to seal their transition to the adjacent circular successful convincing fashion.

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