Levski Sofia
On Wednesday, 22 July 2026, Bulgarian side Levski Sofia and Romanian side Universitatea Craiova will meet in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round. The match will kick off at 18:30 BST at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia.
The Bulgarian club have built up terrific momentum at their home stadium, losing none of their last 10 official matches there out of 11. However, the visitors under Filipe Coelho have also started the new season fairly well — with victory in the Super Cup and a rout in the league.
Julio Velazquez's team are gradually getting into the season. After thrashing Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka (4:0) in Champions League qualifying, where all four goals came after the break, the Bulgarians beat Dunav Ruse (2:1) in the league, again pinning their opponents back in the second half (18 shots, 75% possession). Brazilian newcomer Reinaldo has instantly fitted into the playing model, scoring a double against the Bosnians, while the retained midfield core compensates for the absence of the injured veteran Kirilov. At home, Levski Sofia regularly control the ball for more than 60% of the time and put enormous pressure on their opponents.
The Romanians under Filipe Coelho needed no time to find their rhythm. The team calmly got past ML Vitebsk (4:1 away and 1:0 at home), won the Romanian Super Cup against CFR Cluj on penalties, and then demolished UTA Arad in the league (4:0). The visitors focus on quick vertical breaks and high attacking efficiency — forward Assad Al-Hamlawi is in excellent form, having produced 2+1 for goals and assists in European competition. The transfer of new signing Razvan Sava from Udinese has solved the goalkeeper position, while targeted reinforcements on the flanks have added depth.
The key factor in the first leg will be Levski Sofia's ability to take control of the ball and, as usual, wear their opponents down in the second half. Universitatea Craiova are very dangerous in space, but Sofia's Georgi Asparuhov Stadium is a real fortress for the Bulgarians, where they do not allow away teams to dictate the terms. Universitatea Craiova have lost only once in their last nine away matches, but in eight of those games they scored no more than one goal. So it will be very difficult for them in Sofia.
Adam Ladeback (Sweden)
Matches – 11 (international fixtures, 2024–2026);
Average fouls per match – 23;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 4.9;
Matches with red cards – 2 out of 11;
Matches with penalties – 1 out of 11.
|
Julio Velázquez
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Svetoslav Velislavov Vutsov
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aldair Neves Paulo Faustino
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kristian Traychev Dimitrov
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Maicon Araújo dos Santos
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nikola Serafimov
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Akram Bouras
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
El Mehdi El Moubarik
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sérgio Miguel Lobo Araújo
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Armstrong Inya Oko-Flex
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Francisco Everton Mota de Castro
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Reinaldo Nascimento Satorno
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Martin Bozhidarov Lukov
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ognyan Dilyanov Vladimirov
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alejandro José Centelles Plaza
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Christian Frederick Bayoi Makoun Reyes
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gašper Trdin
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adrian Raychev
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
David João Kusso
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mazire Soula
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Stivan Yordanov Stoyanchov
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Filipe Coelho
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Iulian Laurențiu Popescu
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adrian Rus
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nicușor Silviu Bancu
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Oleksandr Romanchuk
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexandru Cicâldău
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Anzor Mekvabishvili
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vladimir Ionuț Screciu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ștefan Baiaram
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Carlos Andrei Mora Montoya
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Monday Bassey Etim
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Simon Tom Elisor
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Răzvan Sava
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Juraj Badelj
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nikola Stevanović
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ronaldo Romario Webster
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexandru Crețu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
David Matei
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Luca Constantin Băsceanu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mihnea Gabriel Rădulescu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Samuel Teles Pereira Nunes da Silva
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tudor Cristian Băluță
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aimé Steven Nsasa Nsimba Labe
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Heriberto Moreno Borges Tavares
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Levski Sofia
Borac Banja Luka
Borac Banja Luka
Levski Sofia
Universitatea
Maxline
Maxline
Universitatea
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 3 |
|
2
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 3 |
|
3
|
Barcelona
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 3 |
|
4
|
Manchester United
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
5
|
Como
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
6
|
Sporting CP
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
8
|
Manchester City
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
9
|
Aston Villa
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
10
|
Lens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
11
|
Real Betis
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
12
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
13
|
Liverpool
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
14
|
Real Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
15
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
16
|
AEK Athens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
17
|
AS Roma
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
18
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
19
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
20
|
PSV
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:5 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 3 |
|
2
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 3 |
|
3
|
Barcelona
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 3 |
|
4
|
Manchester United
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
5
|
Como
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
6
|
Sporting CP
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
8
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
9
|
Liverpool
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
10
|
Real Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
11
|
AEK Athens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
12
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
13
|
PSV
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
14
|
Manchester City
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
15
|
Aston Villa
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
16
|
Lens
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
17
|
Real Betis
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
18
|
Arsenal
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
19
|
AS Roma
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
20
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Manchester City
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
2
|
Aston Villa
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
3
|
Lens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
4
|
Real Betis
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
5
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
6
|
AS Roma
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
7
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
8
|
PSG
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
9
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
10
|
Barcelona
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
11
|
Manchester United
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
12
|
Como
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
13
|
Sporting CP
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
14
|
Stuttgart
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
15
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
16
|
Liverpool
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
17
|
Real Madrid
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
18
|
AEK Athens
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
19
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
20
|
PSV
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:5 | 0 |
