In the first qualifying round of the Europa League, Dynamo Kyiv will face Romania's Universitatea Cluj. Dynamo looks like the clear favorite: in their last five friendly matches, they have won three, lost one, and drawn one, demonstrating a confident attacking performance. Meanwhile, Universitatea enters the game in terrible form: five losses and one draw in their last six matches, failing to score in three of those.
Furthermore, the Romanian team will be without their top scorer from last season, Jovo Lukic, who is on vacation after playing for Bosnia at the 2026 World Cup. This is a significant loss for the visiting team's attack.
Given Dynamo's overwhelming advantage in European competition experience and their opponent's disastrous form, we're leaning toward a victory for the hosts. Kyiv will likely perform confidently in the first match in Lublin and create a solid lead before the return match in Romania.
