Hradec Králové vs Tromsø – News and Probable Lineups

Hradec Kralove faces Tromso IL in the return leg of their Europa League second qualifying round matchup this Thursday.

The hosts from República Tcheca are aiming to maintain their 1-0 aggregate advantage that they secured in the first leg held in Noruega last week.

Match overview

After being absent from European tournaments for over three decades, Hradec Kralove seeks to extend their return as long as possible and improve upon last season’s fourth-place finish in the Czech top division.

Following four straight seasons finishing between sixth and eighth, they finally achieved a better result by edging Jablonec for fifth place by just a single point.

David Horejs’s team continued their upward trend internationally with a late goal resulting in a 1-0 victory in Noruega.

Mick van Buren found the net in the 85th minute, putting Hradec Kralove in a position where avoiding defeat on Thursday will see them progress to the playoff stage.

Last Sunday, Hradec Kralove kicked off their 2026-27 top-flight season with a 2-1 victory against Pardubice.

On the other hand, Tromso secured third place in the 2025 Eliteserien, qualifying them for this tournament.

Currently, in 2026, they have accumulated 31 points from 15 matches, only four points behind leaders Bodo/Glimt.

They have restarted their domestic season by netting four goals in wins over Valerenga and HamKam, and conceding only 15 goals in the same number of league fixtures is commendable.

However, Jorgen Vik has also seen Tromso experience 5-0 defeats against Brann and Bodo/Glimt in their last nine outings.

Tromso has recorded three victories, two draws, and one loss in six away matches during the Eliteserien this campaign.

Team News

Van Buren is anticipated to be included in the Hradec Kralove lineup, following his second goal in three days when he played against Pardubice last weekend.

Adam Vlkanova may find himself out of the starting XI, while Daniel Trubac and Samuel Dancak are competing for a spot in midfield.

On the Tromso side, Daniel Braut might be reinstated to the starting team, possibly leading to Troy Nyhammer making way on the bench.

The rest of the squad may remain unchanged, with Tromso’s Jens Hjerto-Dahl having missed a penalty before Hradec Kralove took the lead in the first leg.

In contrast to their rivals, Tromso had the weekend off from domestic duties.

Hradec Kralove probable starting XI:

He stumbled; Cihak, Uhrincat, Cech; Wiesner, Darida, Trubac, Horak; Sloncik, Van Buren; Mihalik

Tromso IL probable starting XI:

Haugaard; Vadebu, Skjaervik, Guddal; Cornic, Edvardsson, Hjerto-Dahl, Jenssen, Warneryd; Larsen, Braut

This encounter is shaping up to be a tense and closely contested match between two teams eager for their rare opportunity in a significant European competition. While we believe Tromso will put up a fight throughout, we foresee Hradec Kralove remaining unbeaten on their home turf, leading us to predict that the República Tcheca side will advance.