Universitatea Craiova vs ML Vitebsk Prediction: Romanians can reach the next round

Romanian champions Universitatea Craiova hold a 4-1 aggregate advantage over Belorussian side ML Vitebsk, who must attempt a recovery mission in the second leg of this Champions League first qualifying round tie which takes place at Ion Oblemenco Stadium on Wednesday (18:30).

Dan Childs provides his best bets for Universitatea Craiova vs ML Vitebsk, as well as the essential team news and match odds for the encounter in Romania.

Team News

Universitatea Craiova will have to make do without goalkeeper Pavlo Isenko (knee), who faces a long road to recovery. Head coach Felipe Coelho is expected to go with largely the same players responsible for last Wednesday’s first-leg success.

There is more chance of a rethink from ML Vitebsk head coach, Magomed Adiyev, who must try to figure out a route back into the tie. However, Adiyev is unable to select long-term injured midfielder Aleksey Nosko, who hasn’t featured in 2026.

Universitatea Craiova vs ML Vitebsk Odds

Universitatea Craiova are 2/7 to secure a victory in the second leg, while ML Vitebsk can be backed at 7/1 to claim an away win. The draw is a 4/1 chance, although that would not be of much use to the visitors, who would exit the competition.

ML Vitebsk are 50/1 to advance.

The markets anticipate a fairly open game with over 2.5 goals priced up at 4/7 and unders on offer at 5/4.

Universitatea Craiova to win and both teams to score @ 15/8

Universitatea Craiova were European Cup quarter-finalists in the 1981-82 season and they can take a small step in this season’s Champions League qualifiers by wrapping up a wide-margin aggregate victory over ML Vitebsk.

The early eighties were a successful period for the White-Blues, who reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1982-83 before losing out to Benfica on the away goals rule. The club have endured some leaner times over the last forty years, but they returned to prominence last term by landing a domestic league and cup double.

U Craiova are among the strongest teams in the Champions League first qualifying round and they showed their quality by easing to a 4-1 victory over ML Vitebsk on Hungarian soil.

Having done a lot of the heavy lifting, the Romanians are highly unlikely to relinquish their grip on the tie. However, ML Vitebsk have scored in each of their last seven matches and they can grab a consolation goal in a second-leg loss.

Universitatea Craiova to win 2-1 @ 15/2

The first leg was a shock to the system for ML Vitebsk, who have been used to success in their domestic football.

Significant investment has made a huge difference for ML Vitebsk, who won promotion in 2024 before winning the Belorussian title just a year later.

However, they do not seem to be ready to make an impact against more seasoned European clubs.

ML Vitebsk should have learned something from last week’s game and they can give a better impression in a narrower second-leg loss.

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