Universitatae Craiova will host Hapoel Be'er Sheva at the Stadionul Municipal in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs on Thursday.
The hosts come into the game off a narrow 1-0 home victory over Mioveni in the Romanian Liga 1 on Sunday. Andrei Ivan's strike seven minutes before the break proved to be the difference between the two teams.
Before that, they secured progress to the Conference League playoffs with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Zorya Luhansk. They overcame a 1-0 away deficit with a comfortable 3-0 victory in the second leg.
Beer Sheva, meanwhile, booked their spot at this stage of the competition with a 5-1 aggregate win over Swiss outfit Lugano. They claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory away from home and completed the job with a 3-0 home win in the second leg.
Universitatea Craiova vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva Head-to-Head
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams. Craiova have rebounded from losing consecutive games and are on a three-game winning run.
Be'er Sheva, meanwhile, have won all five of their competitive fixtures across competitions this season.
Universitatea Craiova form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-L
Hapoel Be'er Sheva form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
Universitatea Craiova vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva Team News
Universitatea Craiova
There are no known injury or suspension concerns for the hosts.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Roei Gordana is the only injury concern for the visitors.
Injured: Roei Gordana
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
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Universitatea Craiova vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva Predicted XIs
Universitatea Craiova (4-5-1): David Lazar (GK); Nicusor Bancu, Raul da Silva, Paul Papp, Vladimir Screciu; Andrei Ivan, Alexandru Mateiu, Stefan Baiaram, Alexandru Cretu, Sergiu Hanca; Elvir Koljic
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (4-3-3): Omri Glazer (GK); Helder Lopes, Eitan Tibi, Miguel Vitor, Or Dadya; Hatem Elhamed, Andre Martins, Lucas Bareiro; Eugene Ansah, Astrit Selmani, Tomer Yosefi
Universitatea Craiova vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva Prediction
Universitatea are slight favourites, but Beer Sheva's impressive start to the season means they'll fancy their chances in the game.
The two teams are relatively defensive-minded and are unlikely to go all out in attack. Home advantage gives Craiova a slight edge, so the Romanians could emerge with a narrow victory.
Prediction: Universitatea Craiova 1-0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva