Universitatea Craiova welcome Maxline Vitebsk to the Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie on Wednesday. The first leg in Mezokovesd last week ended 4-1 in favor of Romanian club Universitatea Craiova.
ML Vitebsk were outplayed in the first leg at home, with Craiova starting strong with a fourth-minute opener from Stefan Baiaram before Valeriy Gromyko equalized for the Belarus club in the 20th minute.
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It was all Craiova after that, as Assad Al-Hamlawi scored two first-half penalties and Steven Nsimba added his name to the scoresheet in the fourth minute of second-half injury time to complete the 4-1 thrashing.
Universitatea Craiova came first in the Romanian Superliga last season with 60 points from 30 games, four points ahead of second-placed Rapid Rucuresti, earning them a place in the Champions League qualifiers.
Craiova also won the Romanian Football Cup that season, securing a domestic double. They secured more silverware in their most recent match against Universitatea Cluj in the Romanian Super Cup on Sunday, defeating their rivals 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Meanwhile, ML Vitebsk topped Belarus’ Vysshaya Liga in the 2025 campaign, earning 68 points from 30 games to secure their first-round place in these qualifiers.
In the current season, which is halfway through, ML Vitebsk are coming second with 31 points, trailing table-toppers Dinamo Minsk by two points with 14 games played.
The victors over the two legs will advance to the next qualifying round, while the losers will drop into the second round of UEFA Conference League qualifying.
Universitatea Craiova vs Maxline Vitebsk head-to-head stats and key numbers
- Universitatea Craiova and Maxline Vitebsk have only faced each other once, with that meeting taking place in the first leg last week.
- Universitatea Craiova’s five most recent matches across all competitions have seen four wins and one draw, with the Romanian side demonstrating high-scoring form with a 7-1 win against FC Stubai and a 4-1 victory over ML Vitebsk.
- Maxline Vitebsk have recorded three wins, one loss, and one draw in their five most recent encounters across all competitions.
Universitatea Craiova vs Maxline Vitebsk prediction
Universitatea Craiova are in excellent form, and it will take something special from ML Vitebsk to stop them from winning this match in front of their fans.
Craiova coach Filipe Coelho knows that ML Vitebsk must chase the game, as they are three goals behind. He will tell his charges to look for counterattacking opportunities with the Belarusian side forced to be aggressive, leaving potential vulnerabilities in their backline.
Considering Craiova’s commanding aggregate lead, we expect another victory for the home side, but by a narrower margin.
Prediction: Universitatea Craiova 2-1 Maxline Vitebsk
Universitatea Craiova vs Maxline Vitebsk betting tips
Tip 1: Universitatea Craiova to win
Tip 2: Both teams to score
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli