Dinamo Tirana arrive with a mixed home record but a defence that has conceded just once across two European outings in Tirana. Auda have swept aside three opponents while scoring almost three goals per game, though their only away test finished 3-2. Both managers have a clean…
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Sign inDinamo Tirana welcome Latvian side Auda to their Elbasan Arena home on Thursday, August 13, for the second leg of this UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round tie, trailing 1-0 from the first encounter in Latvia. The Albanian hosts must overturn that deficit to keep alive their hopes of reaching the playoff round for a second successive season.
Dinamo Tirana will be forced into at least one defensive change after right-back Fabjan Perndreca was sent off in the 71st minute of the first leg. His suspension leaves a hole in the back four, with Bruno Dita and Eridon Qardaku also walking a disciplinary tightrope after picking up cautions at the Sporta komplekss Ķeizarmežs. The possible starting XI – a 4-3-3 shape under coach – could see Tekja in goal, a reshuffled back line featuring Alii, Dita and Ismaili, with Kardaku, Manellari and Ayodeji in midfield, and Berisha, Kefalia and Vila leading the attack.
Auda, who hold the single-goal advantage, have no suspension concerns from the first leg. That match saw Barthélémy Diedhiou net the winner in the 68th minute, and he is expected to spearhead the visitors’ attack again, supported by Kone and Dashkevics. The Latvians are likely to stick with a 4-3-3 system built around the midfield trio of Wally Fofana, Youba Traoré and Bongemba.
Albania’s Dinamo caused a stir in this competition a year ago when they eliminated Hajduk Split at the same third qualifying round stage, and they have again shown resilience in 2026-27. Before the first-leg defeat in Latvia, the capital club had been unbeaten in three matches. They reached this round by overcoming Slovenian side Aluminij, and domestically they have been competitive, conceding only three goals across their first four Conference League qualifiers this summer.
Auda arrive in Elbasan with momentum. The Latvian outfit is enjoying a strong domestic campaign, sitting third in the Virsliga after 23 matches with 43 points, and they have been defensively sound, conceding only 26 league goals – the third-best record in the division. In Europe, they pulled off a stunning aggregate victory over FCSB (Steaua Bucharest) in the previous round, thrashing the Romanian giants 4-1 at home for a 7-3 overall win. Auda have now scored in each of their last five matches across all competitions and kept a clean sheet in the first leg against Dinamo, underlining their threat on the counter.
With a one-goal deficit to chase, Dinamo Tirana will need to throw numbers forward, but they must be wary of Auda’s ability to strike in transition. Diedhiou’s pace and finishing were decisive in the first leg, and the Albanian defence – missing the suspended Perndreca – will have to stay compact when possession is lost. The midfield duel between Dinamo’s creative outlets and the combative Traoré-Fofana axis could determine how many clear chances the hosts can create without leaving themselves exposed.
The winners of this tie will face the losers of the RB Salzburg versus Pafos Europa League third qualifying round clash in the Conference League playoff round. A place in the group stage is the ultimate prize, but first Dinamo Tirana must navigate 90 minutes in front of their own supporters to keep their European journey alive.
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11Dinamo Tirana
Coach: Ilir Daja
Auda
Coach: Didier Zanetti
