Levski Sofia vs Universitatea Craiova Prediction: Hosts to edge Tuesday’s first leg

Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia face Universitatea Craiova on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League second-round qualifier (8:30pm local time/6:30pm BST).

The hosts were 5-1 aggregate victory over Borac Banja Luka in the first round. This was the same scoreline that Craiova defeated Vitebsk to reach this stage. Below you'll find the Levski Sofia vs Universitatea Craiova predictions, including the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Stipe Vulikic, Asen Mitkov, Radoslav Kirilov and Mustapha Sangare remain unavailable for Levski Sofia due to fitness issues.

Boss Julio Velazquez made seven changes in the second leg against Borac, but most of the regulars who were rested are set to return for this clash. This includes goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov, Oliver Kamdem, Nikola Serafimov, Gasper Trdin and Serginho.

Armstrong Oko-Flex has struck in five successive Champions League outings and will continue in attack. Everton Bala and Reinaldo, who bagged a brace against Borac, should also feature in the final third.

Craiova duo Pavlo Isenko and Alexandru Iamandache remain unavailable due to injury.

Levski Sofia vs Universitatea Craiova Odds

Levski are 11/10 to land a third consecutive victory in all competitions.

The draw is marketed at 11/5, while Universitatea Craiova are 23/10 to win this first leg.

Two of the hosts' previous three fixtures have seen both teams score. BTTS - Yes can be backed here at 5/6.

Match Result - Levski Sofia @ 11/10

This looks to be a fascinating contest on paper, but with the home advantage, Levski should be looking to take advantage in this first leg. The hosts are on a two-game winning streak and they should be full of confidence coming into Wednesday's match.

They are often reliable on home soil, having won six of their previous seven outings here. Craiova head here with a solid defensive record on their travels but I'm backing the home side to edge this first leg at 11/10, which has an implied probability of 47.6%.

Total Goals - Under 2.5 @ 4/6

The visitors have kept clean sheets in four of their past six away trips in all competitions, and each of their last five have gone Under 2.5 Goals. For that reason, I think this threshold is worth backing on Wednesday.