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Both Universitatea Cluj and Dynamo Kyiv will be aiming to secure their place in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round when they meet in the second leg of their first qualifying-round tie at Cluj Arena on Thursday evening.
The two sides could not be separated in last week's first leg as they played out a goalless draw in Poland, leaving everything to be decided in Romania.
Dynamo Kyiv were forced to host the first leg in Poland due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, with the club using Lublin's Arena Lublin as their temporary European home for the last few seasons.
While Dynamo Kyiv will be disappointed they were unable to take an advantage from the first ‘home' leg, they will hope their lack of cutting edge was simply down to a lack of competitive minutes and expect to produce a stronger attacking display in Romania.
The Ukrainian giants are regulars in European competition, having featured in 19 Champions League campaigns and 11 Europa League seasons, although they fell at the Europa League playoff stage last year after defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
As for U Cluj, they are preparing for just their second ever European campaign and will look to build on last season's impressive domestic efforts after finishing second in the Romanian top flight.
The Red Caps have struggled for consistency during pre-season and the early stages of the new campaign, but they know another strong defensive performance could see them make history by reaching the second qualifying round of the Europa League for the first time.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv key stats
- U Cluj have failed to win any of their last seven matches across all competitions.
- The Red Caps narrowly missed out on their first Romanian top-flight title last season, finishing second and four points behind champions Universitatea Craiova.
- Dynamo Kyiv are unbeaten in five of their last six matches.
- The Ukrainian side scored 66 league goals during the 2025-26 campaign, with only one team in the division managing more.
U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv preview: Ihor Kostyuk's side to keep European journey alive?
U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv — Tale of the Tape
| U Cluj (Superliga) | vs | Dynamo Kyiv (Ukrainian Premier League) |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Position | N/A |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Goals For | N/A |
| N/A | Goals Against | N/A |
| N/A | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
With the Romanian and Ukrainian domestic seasons starting over the next few weeks, both sides have had limited competitive action ahead of this crucial European tie.
U Cluj returned to domestic action at the weekend in the Romanian Super Cup final against Universitatea Craiova after the first-leg stalemate, but once again fell short against the side that denied them the league title last season.
The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes before Craiova prevailed on penalties, adding to a difficult run of results for Cristiano Bergodi's side.
Following their final-day victory last season, the Red Caps have now failed to win any of their last seven matches in all competitions, with two of those defeats coming via penalty shootouts.
Their pre-season campaign also highlighted some attacking struggles, with U Cluj scoring just no goals across three friendlies, and they will need a much-improved display in front of goal if they are to extend their European adventure.
Dynamo Kyiv, meanwhile, arrive as the more experienced European outfit but endured a disappointing 2025-26 domestic campaign.
The Ukrainian giants finished fourth in the Ukrainian Premier League, 15 points behind champions Shakhtar Donetsk, while their Europa League hopes ended in the playoff round last season after defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Ihor Kostyuk's side did claim some silverware by winning the Ukrainian Cup for the 14th time in their history, but their league form prevented them from securing Champions League football.
Unlike their opponents, Dynamo have shown encouraging signs during pre-season and have entered the new campaign with renewed confidence.
Dynamo Kyiv entered the first leg having recorded three wins, one draw and one defeat during their pre-season schedule before returning to action less than 24 hours after the goalless draw with U Cluj, beating Radomiak Radom 4-2 with a much-changed side.
Vitaliy Buyalskyi was the standout performer after scoring a hat-trick in that victory and could now push for a starting place on Thursday, while Justin Lonwijk remains unavailable through injury.
U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv form guide & betting tips
| U Cluj | vs | Dynamo Kyiv |
|---|---|---|
DLLDL* |
Form | WLWDW |
| 1 | Goals For | 11 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 7 |
W |
Champions League qualification | L |
Whispers predicts: U Cluj 1-3 Dynamo Kyiv (Dynamo Kiev win 3-1 on aggregate)
While the first leg ended goalless, we expect the second meeting to be a more open contest with both sides needing a result to progress.
Dynamo Kyiv's stronger European pedigree and recent pre-season form could prove decisive, and we back the Ukrainian side to secure a win, which is priced at 12/25.
Despite U Cluj scoring just once across their last five matches in all competitions, we do expect them to find the back of the net, making Both Teams To Score available at 11/10.
Matvii Ponomarenko enjoyed a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign and has already attracted attention ahead of the new season.
We believe the 20-year-old forward is a strong candidate to add to his Dynamo Kyiv goal tally in Romania.
> Away win at 12/25 | Likelihood: Possible
> Both teams to score at at 11/10 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 19/20 | Likelihood: Possible