Vikingur Reykjavik have turned their home ground into a European fortress, winning all three of their recent continental fixtures on home soil and finding the net in every one. Borac Banja Luka arrive with worrying away form — winless in their last three on the road and conceding…
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Sign inVikingur Reykjavik welcome Borac Banja Luka to their Víkingsvöllur home for the first leg of the UEFA Conference League playoff round on August 20, 2026. The Icelandic side dropped into this competition after a Europa League third-round qualifying exit, while the Bosnian visitors advanced via a penalty shootout in the previous round.
Both clubs are expected to field their strongest available lineups with a place in the Conference League group stage up for grabs. No fresh injury concerns or suspensions have been reported for either side. Vikingur are likely to stick with the core of the team that beat Thun 3-2 at home in the last European outing, while Borac should retain the spine that held its nerve in the shootout win over ML Vitebsk.
Vikingur fell 3-0 away to FC Thun in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg, then rallied to a 3-2 home victory that was not enough to overturn the 5-3 aggregate deficit. That defeat ended their hopes of reaching the Europa League group stage, but they have already shown resilience on home soil in this European campaign, having beaten HB Tórshavn and ETO Győr earlier in Champions League qualifying. The compact Víkingsvöllur, with a capacity of just 1,613, will host its biggest European match of the season.
Borac Banja Luka reached this stage by edging ML Vitebsk on penalties after a 1-0 home win and a 2-1 away defeat in the third qualifying round. Their European journey also included a comfortable 3-0 victory over Petrocub in the second round. The Bosnian side have shown a knack for grinding out results in tight ties, and a clean sheet in the first leg could prove crucial ahead of the return fixture in Banja Luka.
With a capacity barely above 1,600, the intimate Víkingsvöllur can become a cauldron of noise and pressure. Vikingur will want to harness that energy to take a lead into the second leg, while Borac must weather an early storm and keep the tie alive. The visitors’ ability to stay compact and disciplined under the floodlights could define the outcome.
A place in the Conference League group stage awaits the winner over two legs. The return match will be played at the Gradski Stadion in Banja Luka a week later, with both clubs knowing that every goal and every moment of composure carries enormous weight in this finely balanced playoff.
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