Ararat-Armenia vs Universitatea Craiova – News and Probable Lineups

Ararat-Armênia is set to host Universitatea Craiova at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republic Stadium this Thursday for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifying round matchup.

The Black and Whites made their entrance into this stage of the tournament after being eliminated from the Champions League qualification round, while Alb-albastrii secured their advancement with a 3-2 aggregate win over KuPS in the earlier round.

Match overview

After a five-year drought without silverware, Ararat-Armênia rose to the top of the Armenian Premier League during the 2025-26 season, which granted them a spot in this summer’s Champions League qualifying rounds.

Participating in the first round, Manuel Tulipa’s team successfully overcame both Riga FC and Shamrock Rovers before facing Celje in the penultimate phase. Unfortunately, their journey ended there as they suffered a 3-2 aggregate defeat.

This means that the Black and Whites are taking part in the Europa League for just the third time ever and their first appearance since the 2020-21 season. A victory on Thursday would mark their first entry into the group stages of this competition.

Currently sitting second in the Premier League standings with 10 points accumulated from four matches, Ararat-Armênia is in high spirits, particularly after securing a 1-1 draw in the away leg last week.

After Thursday’s match, the Black and Whites will aim to extend their strong record against Romanian teams, having previously defeated FC Universitatea Cluj over two legs without suffering any losses in last season’s Conference League second qualifying round.

Much like their adversaries, Univ Craiova qualified for this summer’s Champions League qualifying rounds by clinching the Romanian Superliga title, their first in 35 years during the 2025-26 season, finishing four points ahead of second-placed Univ Cluj.

In the first round, Alb-albastrii faced Belarusian club ML Vitebsk and kicked off their European campaign in style with an impressive 5-1 aggregate victory. However, they faced defeat against Lexi in the following stage, leading Filipe Coelho’s squad to drop down to the Europa League.

Nevertheless, after drawing 1-1 away against Finnish side KuPS and following it up with a win at Stadionul Ion Oblemenco in the second leg, Univ Craiova’s drop might have worked in their favor, as the team now finds itself in the competition’s final playoff round for the first time ever.

Despite being disappointed with only managing a draw in the first leg, confidence remains high as the Alb-albastrii are in good form, having lost just once in their previous eight matches and coming off a convincing 3-1 win against FC Voluntari.

A significant victory on Thursday would also represent their first ever competitive win against Armenian opponents, with their only prior encounter with an Armenian Premier League team being a 1-1 draw with FC Noah in last season’s Conference League.

Team News

Similar to last week, Ararat-Armênia reports no injuries, making it highly likely that Tulipa retains a similar starting lineup.

Following his goal in the first leg, Alexandros Malis is expected to pair up with Bruno Ricardo and Wilson Valdez in defense, while Benny is anticipated to anchor the hosts’ midfield once more.

With three goals in his four league appearances this season, the status of Alioune Ndour leading the attack is uncertain as he may replace seasoned striker Sandro Lima.

Adrian Rus is likely to face a lengthy recovery period due to a suspected ACL injury sustained during Univ Craiova’s win over FC Voluntari last Sunday, leaving them short in defense.

Alb-albastrii are also without Pavlo Isenko and Alexandru Iamandache, both of whom are rehabbing from knee injuries.

After opting to start Assad Al Hamlawi in the first leg, it remains to be seen whether Steven Nsimba will return to lead the attacking line for the visitors on Thursday evening, having scored his latest goal of a total of seven this season during the weekend.

Ararat-Armênia probable starting XI:

João Bravim; Junior Julio, Wilson Valdez, Malis, Grigoryan; OLIVEIRA, Benny, Muradyan; Serobyan, Sandro Lima, Banjaqui

Craiova University probable starting XI:

Popescu; Romanchuk, Stevanovic, Screciu; Mora, Mekvabishvili, Cicaldau, Bancu; Matei, Nsimba, Baiaram

After a closely contested match last week, a similar scenario could be expected at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium on Thursday evening.

While Univ Craiova has experience in qualifying for Europe’s second tier competition, it’s anticipated that Ararat-Armênia will significantly improve on their home ground and make headlines by advancing to the main stages of a European competition for the first time.