In the first leg of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, Maxline Vitebsk and Universitatea Craiova kick off their qualification journey at the Mezokovesdi Varosi Stadion in Hungary on Wednesday. The winner of this tie over two legs will move on to the next qualifying round of the Champions League, while the team that loses will transfer to the UEFA Conference League qualification path.
ML Vitebsk of Belarus are the current champions of the Vysshaya Liga, having won the top flight in the 2025 season with 68 points from 30 games, five points ahead of the next challenger, Dinamo Minsk.
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ML Vitebsk are in the middle of the 2026 domestic league campaign, and they are coming second at the moment on 31 points, two off Dinamo Minsk in top spot.
Vitebsk’s most recent match ended 4-2 in their favor, away to Slavia Mozyr on 1 July. The reigning champions are unbeaten in four matches and will hope to carry that momentum into the Champions League qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Universitatea Craiova are the current champions of the SuperLiga Romaniei after dominating the top flight and placing first with 60 points from 30 games in the 2025-26 season.
The side from Craiova are in pre-season mode at the moment, as the new domestic league season has not yet begun. Therefore, Alb-albastrii‘s last competitive game took place at the end of last season in May. However, they have been playing friendly matches, including a 4-3 win against Polissya on 29 June.
The second leg will take place at Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova on Wednesday, 15 July.
Maxline Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova head-to-head stats and key numbers
- This will be the first-ever encounter between Maxline Vitebsk and Universitatea Craiova.
- ML Vitebsk have won three, lost one, and drawn one of their last five matches.
- Universitatea Craiova are yet to begin the new league season, but the three friendly matches that they have played in the last three weeks have produced two wins and a draw.
Maxline Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova prediction
This is expected to be a cagey first leg, with both sides prioritizing a defensive approach as they get a feel for the other. Universitatea Craiova is the more experienced of the two sides at this level, but ML Vitebsk are playing at home.
We believe this first leg could end in a draw, leaving it all to play for in the second leg.
Prediction: Maxline Vitebsk 1-1 Universitatea Craiova
Maxline Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova betting tips
Tip 1: Draw
Tip 2: Universitatea Craiova to score first
Tip 3: Under 2.5 goals
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli
