Universitatea Craiova, the Romanian champions, learned on Tuesday evening that they are set to face Levski Sofia in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, provided they advance in this prestigious club competition.
Craiova is scheduled to play the return leg against Belarusian champions Vitebsk on Wednesday evening, July 15, at 20:30 at their home ground. In the first leg, held in Hungary, Craiova secured a convincing 4-1 victory.
The upcoming match will be broadcast live on GSP.ro, featuring real-time updates and images from Craiova, and will also be available on Prima Sport 1 and Digi Sport 1.
In the second round of Champions League qualifiers, Craiova is expected to encounter Levski Sofia, who recently triumphed over Borac Banja Luka with an aggregate score of 5-1. The first leg of their matchup ended in a 1-1 draw.
The first-leg matches in the second qualifying round are set for July 21-22, with return matches on July 28-29, and Craiova will host the return leg.
Universitatea Craiova Anticipates Match Against Levski Sofia in Champions League Qualifiers
Craiova has established a strong position ahead of the return leg at Ion Oblemenco Stadium, having won decisively by a three-goal margin against Vitebsk last week.
With a three-goal advantage from the first leg and the benefit of playing at home, along with the morale boost from winning the Romanian Super Cup against U Cluj via penalties (5-3, 1-1 in regular time), the champions are expected to progress smoothly to the second round of the Champions League.
In this round, the Oltenians have favorable chances to advance, as they drew one of the more accessible teams based on the draw: either Borac Banja Luka or Levski Sofia, the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria, respectively. Notably, Craiova does not hold the seeding status in this round.
In the first leg a week ago in Bosnia, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw, postponing the qualification outcome to Tuesday evening’s return match in Sofia, which ended with a 4-0 win for the Bulgarians.
The return leg remained tightly contested for the first 45 minutes, with the teams going into halftime at 0-0. However, after the break, Levski Sofia found their rhythm, scoring first through Irish forward Armstrong Oko-Flex in the 48th minute.
The Bulgarians extended their lead in the 59th minute with a goal from Reinaldo, with another goal coming shortly after, again from Reinaldo, making it 3-0. Finally, Juan Perea added a fourth goal in the 85th minute, concluding the match at 4-0.
Profile of Levski Sofia, Potential Opponent for Craiova in Champions League Qualifiers
Levski Sofia is the team that broke Ludogorets’ dominance in Bulgarian football, clinching their first title since 2009 this year.
Currently coached by Julio Velazquez, Levski’s estimated value is comparable to that of Craiova, standing at €36.98 million, while Craiova’s squad is valued at €38.6 million. The most valuable players on Levski’s roster are defender Christian Makoun and left-back Maicon, each valued at €3.5 million.
Levski has demonstrated financial stability and has already made two significant signings this season: left winger Reinaldo for €1.5 million and left-back David Kusso for €900,000.
Although Levski has yet to start their domestic season, they will begin alongside Craiova at the end of this week. Before their potential matchup with Craiova, the Bulgarians will face Dunav Ruse in their opening league match, and between the two legs of the second qualifying round, Levski Sofia will play against PFK Lokomotiv Sofia.
