Universitatea Craiova vs KuPS prediction 13.08.2026 | Europa League

Universitatea Craiova enters this decisive matchup on the back of a disappointing 1–0 home defeat against FC Argeș Pitești. The White-Blues have endured a highly inconsistent start to their domestic season, managing six points from four Superliga matches to sit sixth in the league standings.

Filipe Coelho’s men initially launched their continental campaign in the Champions League, crushing ML Vitebsk 5–1 on aggregate in the first qualifying round with 4–1 away and 1–0 home wins. The White-Blues then dropped down to the Europa League following a tight 3–2 aggregate defeat against Levski Sofia.

On home soil at the Ion Oblemenco Stadium, the Romanian side has recorded one win and one draw across their two European home fixtures. Domestically, they have won two of their three home league games so far, with both of those victories coming by an exact 4–0 scoreline.  

Costa Rican midfielder Carlos Mora has been the stand-out figure in their campaign so far, providing four assists across the four Superliga games so far.

KuPS Kuopio prepares for this decisive matchup on the back of a tight 1–1 domestic draw against Turun Palloseura. The Canaries enter the return leg in excellent match sharpness, sitting 5 points clear at the top of Veikkausliiga table after picking up seven wins from their last eight matches.

Jani Honkavaara’s men initially launched their continental journey in the Champions League, defeating FK Vardar 4–3 on aggregate before dropping to the Europa League qualifiers after a 3–0 aggregate loss to Sabah FK.

On their travels across competitive fronts, the Finnish side has proved resilient, winning five of their last six away outings. The only game they didn’t win, was a 1-0 defeat and was in Europe.

Striker Jaime Moreno, who hit the crucial equalizer in the first leg, remains the primary threat upfront, while young midfielder Samuel Pasanen is a notable absentee due to a lingering knee injury.