- Sheriff are unbeaten in five, W2, D3, whereas Aluminij are on a mixed five-game streak of W1, D2, L2.
- Sheriff have scored just four goals in their last five away from home in all competitions.
- Aluminij have conceded just two goals at home in all competitions this season.
Sheriff are in better shape, Aluminij are dangerous if they can keep the game cagey
Aluminij are a tricky team to play against when they are playing at home, but FC Sheriff Tiraspol are a solid team that could get the job done at Kidricevo Sports Park on Thursday.
The Moldovan side are the slight favourites in this second-leg at 1.95, with Aluminij priced at 3.86 and the draw coming in at 3.3.
The tie is very finely poised after the first-leg ended 0-0 at Sheriff's ground.
Jura Arsić's side have adopted a similar approach to Sheriff in their matches to date, operating from either a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 when they have the ball and a more compact 4-4-2 to react from when out of possession.
Arsić's men will be well drilled in surviving tough European games such as this, and if they can do what they do best - clog up the middle and force opponents wide - they will give themselves a chance of progression in front of their own fans on Thursday.
Sheriff’s best route to victory is control, territory and a late winner
This will be a difficult game for the Moldovans, who are in much better form than their opponents with five wins, four draws and just one defeat in their last ten in all competitions.
Their most recent three results were a 3-0 home win over FC Real Sireti in Super Liga 2026/2027, a 0-0 draw away to Politehnica Chisinau and that 0-0 draw against Aluminij in the home first-leg.
Victor Mihailov's team usually set up from either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, building from the pivots and then looking to spring them with vertical transitions.
That approach should have plenty of opportunities to test Aluminij's low block and will certainly offer them a chance to snare a goal, which is why Sheriff to win looks a far better bet than Aluminij to do so.
The smart lean here is for a Sheriff win and for them to cover a low-scoring draw, as the home side, who have conceded just twice in all competitions at the Kidricevo Sports Park this season, will be very capable of making the game a mud game.
