Universitatea
On Wednesday, 29 July 2026, in the second leg of the Champions League second qualifying round, Universitatea Craiova will host Levski Sofia. The match at the Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova will kick off at 18:30 BST.
Levski Sofia won the first game in Sofia 1:0, so now it is the Romanians who have to come from behind. The problem is that three days before the return leg Universitatea Craiova were thrashed in Bucharest, and the hosts’ margin for error is now minimal.
Levski Sofia arrived in Craiova as champions of Bulgaria — their first title since 2009 and the end of Ludogorets Razgrad’s long-running monopoly. Julio Velazquez has built a team on defence, and it does not crumble under pressure: in their last 10 competitive matches the Bulgarians have conceded an average of 0.6 goals.
The first leg confirmed that. Kristian Dimitrov scored in the eighth minute from a Serginho delivery, after which Levski Sofia shut down the centre of the pitch and saw the game out without conceding. The Romanian champions did not create anything truly dangerous in 90 minutes.
The visitors also look sharper. They have started the new season in Bulgaria with two wins, and in the first qualifying round they knocked out FK Borac Banja Luka 5:1 on aggregate. The absences are manageable: even without Mustapha Sangare and Oliver Kamdem the squad still has cover in every position, and Oko-Flex, the best player of their title-winning season, is available.
For Universitatea Craiova the picture is different. A 4:0 win over UTA Arad and the 4:1 demolition of FK Vitebsk created the impression of a strong start, but on 25 July in Bucharest Filipe Coelho’s team simply fell apart — Dinamo Bucuresti put five goals past them. That was not a one-off late collapse but a complete defensive collapse.
Add Oleksandr Romanchuk’s injury at the heart of the defence and doubts over Assad Al-Hamlawi in attack. And remember that the Romanians have to overturn a one-goal deficit, which means pushing forward from the first minute to break down the most disciplined defence in this tie. Every such surge leaves them exposed to counter-attacks from Reinaldo and Everton Bala.
The absence of travelling support will make little difference: Levski Sofia have played for results, not for the emotion of the stands, all season. The hosts will push, but they do not have enough to break down this defence.
Matteo Marcenaro (Italy)
Matches – 5 (international fixtures, 2025–2026);
Average fouls per match – 24;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 3;
Matches with a red card – 1 out of 5;
Matches with a penalty awarded – 0 out of 5.
|
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 |
|
Nikola Stevanović
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexandru Cicâldău
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Anzor Mekvabishvili
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
David Matei
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vladimir Ionuț Screciu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ștefan Baiaram
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aimé Steven Nsasa Nsimba Labe
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Carlos Andrei Mora Montoya
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Alexandru Gabriel Maxim
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Răzvan Sava
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Juraj Badelj
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexandru Crețu
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Denys Ioan Muntean
|
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 |
|
Heriberto Moreno Borges Tavares
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Monday Bassey Etim
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Simon Tom Elisor
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
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 |
|
Asen Ivanov Mitkov
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gašper Trdin
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adrian Raychev
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
David João Kusso
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Juan Esteban Perea Sanchez
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mazire Soula
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mustapha Sangaré
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Stivan Yordanov Stoyanchov
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Levski Sofia
Universitatea
Universitatea
Maxline
Maxline
Universitatea
Levski Sofia
Universitatea
Levski Sofia
Borac Banja Luka
Borac Banja Luka
Levski Sofia
Champions League 2026/27
Levski Sofia
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 |
