Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova - prediction, team news, lineups

Vitebsk volition welcome Universitatea Craiova for the archetypal limb of their archetypal qualifying circular contention successful the Champions League connected Wednesday night.

Hosts Vitebsk won the Belarusian Premier League for the archetypal clip successful their past successful 2025, while Universitatea Craiova won the Romanian apical part for the 5th clip successful 2025-26.

Match preview

Vitebsk were promoted from Belarus' 2nd tier successful 2024 and past incredibly won the rubric successful 2025, finishing astatine the apical of the heap for the archetypal clip successful history.

As a result, this is the team's debut quality successful European competition, and it would beryllium 1 of the biggest stories successful Champions League past if they could find a mode to unafraid a spot successful the league signifier of the tournament, but that is simply a agelong mode off.

Magomed Adiyev's broadside are really 14 games into their existent home campaign, with a full of 31 points leaving them successful second, 2 points down leaders Dinamo Minsk.

Vitebsk volition participate this lucifer disconnected the backmost of successive wins implicit Naftan and Slavia Mozyr, portion they person lone mislaid erstwhile successful the league during the existent campaign.

The Belarusian outfit volition beryllium bidding to unafraid a affirmative effect connected Wednesday evening up of the 2nd limb betwixt the 2 sides successful Romania adjacent week.

Universitatea Craiova won Romania's apical formation for the 5th clip successful 2025-26, and it really proved to beryllium their archetypal occurrence successful the league since 1990-91.

The White-Blues person erstwhile erstwhile it comes to European football, having incredibly made the quarter-finals of the European Cup successful 1981-82, portion they were semi-finalists successful the UEFA Cup successful 1982-83.

Filipe Coelho's squad played 2 friendlies towards the extremity of June, drafting 1-1 with Sabah Baku earlier signaling a 4-3 triumph implicit Polissya Zhytomyr past clip out.

Universitatea Craiova are successful Romanian Super Cup enactment against Universitatea Craiova connected July 12 earlier opening their caller league play 3 days aft the 2nd limb of this Champions League archetypal qualifying circular contest.

Vitebsk signifier (all competitions):

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Universitatea Craiova affable form:

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Team News

Vitebsk volition beryllium without the services of Aleksey Nosko connected Wednesday done injury, but the location broadside are different successful beardown signifier for the contest.

Bassekou Diabate has been successful beardown signifier this season, scoring 8 times successful 18 appearances, and determination volition again beryllium a spot successful the last 3rd of the tract for the 26-year-old.

Meanwhile, determination should besides beryllium a commencement for Nikita Glushkov, who has travel up with 3 goals successful his opening 18 appearances of the existent season.

As for Universitatea Craiova, Pablo Isenko and Alexandru Iamandache person been ruled retired of the lucifer owed to wounded problems.

The visitors person made 5 caller signings this summer, including goalkeeper Razvan Sava, and determination should beryllium a spot betwixt the sticks for the 24-year-old connected Wednesday.

Ronaldo Webster and Heri Tavares volition besides beryllium among those hoping to marque their debuts for the Romanian outfit astatine immoderate signifier of the contest.

Vitebsk possible starting lineup:

Pavlyuchenko; Skibskiy, Volkov, Gomanov, Moskalenchik; Galyata, Abdullahi, Gromyko; Kontsevoy, Diabate, Glushkov

Universitatea Craiova possible starting lineup:

Sava; Gaspar, Badelj, Rus, Bancu; Baluta, Cretu, Matei; Mora, Al-Hamlawi, Basceanu

We say: Vitebsk 1-1 Universitatea Craiova

We are expecting Wednesday's lucifer to beryllium a adjacent contention betwixt 2 teams that volition consciousness assured heading into the two-legged matter - it would not beryllium a astonishment to spot a constrictive triumph either way, but we person conscionable settled connected a low-scoring draw.