Craiova University found out its first obstacle on the way to the Champions League groups. The Romanian champion will meet ML Vitebsk, the holder of the title from Belarus, in the inaugural preliminary round.
The Oltenians start with an important advantage in this confrontation
Due to the restrictions imposed on Belarusian teams in UEFA competitions, Craiova’s opponent will not be able to play their game considered “home” in their own stadium, a situation that gives the Romanians more favorable conditions in the double leg.
On paper, the team prepared by Coelho is also the favorite for the qualification. The lot of the University of Craiova is valued at approximately 34.5 million euros, while the value of the lot of ML Vitebsk is almost 13 million euros.
The first leg is scheduled for July 7 or 8 and will be played away to Craiova, while the return leg will take place on July 14 or 15. If they get past the Belarusian champion, Craiova University will have a more difficult task in the second preliminary round, where they will not benefit from the seeded status and could face a much stronger opponent.
Doubles from the first preliminary round of the Champions League:
- Klaksvik (Faroe Islands) – Atert Bissen (Luxembourg);
- Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) – Sutjeska (Montenegro);
- Vikingur (Iceland) – Gyor (Hungary);
- FK Borac (Bosnia) – Levski Sofia (Bulgaria);
- FC Petrocub (Republic of Moldova) – KF Egnatia (Albania);
- ML Vitebsk (Belarus) – Craiova University (Romania);
- Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania) – FC Drita (Kosovo);
- FC Vardar (North Macedonia) – KUPS (Finland);
- Ararat (Armenia) – Riga FC (Latvia);
- Tre Fiori FC (San Marino) – Larne FC (Northern Ireland);
- Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) – Inter Club d’Escaldes (Andorra);
- FC Flora Tallinn (Estonia) – FC Iberia (Georgia);
- Floriana FC (Malta) – Shamrock Rovers (Ireland);
- Sabah (Azerbaijan) – The New Saints FC (Wales).
