Universitatea Craiova arrive with only one defeat in their last five outings and a 3-4-3 setup that has delivered consistent goals at home. KuPS have struggled for results overall but have been defensively stubborn on the road, with both of their recent away matches ending in…
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Sign inUniversitatea Craiova welcome KuPS to their Complex Sportiv Craiova home on Thursday for the decisive second leg of their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie. The contest is delicately poised after a 1-1 draw in Finland last week, with a place in the play-off round at stake.
Universitatea Craiova are dealing with several absences. Mihnea Radulescu needs at least two more weeks to recover from a knee injury. Pavlo Isenko and Alexandru Iamandache are both ruled out with knee problems, though Juraj Badelj returns after serving a suspension. Centre-back Oleksandr Romanchuk missed the first leg and remains doubtful; his availability must be checked closer to kick-off. Striker Steven Nsimba arrives in fine form, having scored a brace against Petrolul last weekend – his fifth goal in seven appearances – and will carry the main goal threat alongside skipper Nicușor Bancu, whose forays down the left are central to the hosts' attacking plan.
KuPS arrived in Romania with only two confirmed absentees: midfielder Samuel Pasanen (knee) and long-term absentee Jerry Voutilainen. Head coach Miika Nuutinen is expected to revert to a line-up similar to the one that faced Sabah Baku, with Johannes Kreidl in goal, Petteri Pennanen captaining the midfield, and Jaime Moreno leading the attack after his second-half equaliser in the first leg.
Craiova's recent domestic results have been a mix of explosive attacking displays and defensive frailties. They opened the season with a 4-0 thrashing of UTA Arad, then suffered a 5-1 defeat at Dinamo Bucharest before bouncing back with a commanding 4-0 home win over Petrolul. Their European path saw them drop into the Europa League after losing to Levski Sofia.
KuPS entered the third qualifying round following a Champions League exit to Sabah Baku and stretched a run of three consecutive European defeats before the first-leg draw. They showed resilience to recover from Stefan Baiaram’s 38th-minute strike for Craiova, with Moreno heading home Tommi Jyry’s corner. The Finnish champions have been involved in high-scoring matches on home soil, but on the road they are likely to rely on quick transitions and the pace of their widemen.
Captain Bancu’s advanced positioning on the left gives the home side an extra attacking body and can push KuPS back towards their own penalty area. The risk is the space he leaves behind – the Finns’ mobile wingers will aim to exploit those gaps on the break. How quickly Craiova can regain possession after losing the ball, or whether KuPS can escape pressure with the first pass, could decide which side progresses.
The winner of this tie advances to the Europa League play-off round, where either Ararat or Celje awaits. For KuPS, the fixture is also an opportunity to finally overcome Romanian opposition, having been eliminated twice before by sides from the country. Universitatea Craiova are aiming to match their best UEL run from 2019/20 – a third-qualifying-round exit to AEK Athens – but will hope to go one better this time.
Kick-off is 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday, 13 August. With the tie locked at 1-1 after the first leg, a single moment of quality could be the difference between continuation and elimination.
Universitatea Craiova
Coach: Filipe Coelho
KuPS
Coach: Miika Nuutinen
