- Universitatea Craiova are slight favourites at 1.95, with FC Ararat-Armenia at 3.95 and the draw at 3.5.
Ararat-Armenia to be a tough nut to crack
FC Ararat-Armenia secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Universitatea Craiova in the first leg of this UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 tie, and while the visitors will be disappointed, the fixture is very evenly poised going into Thursday's return leg at the Republican Stadium - Vazgen Sargsyan.
Tulipa's Ararat-Armenia side have been extremely reliable in all competitions so far this season, registering 6 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats from 10 matches. The hosts have been particularly strong at home, winning all 4 of their games here and conceding just 2 goals in the process.
FC Ararat-Armenia are well organised and tough to break down, as Craiova found out last week. Tulipa prefers a pragmatic 4-3-3 system, which allows his team to control the midfield and use their freshness on the counterattack. There is little fluke about Ararat-Armenia's strong home record, they have been the architects of their own success.
Craiova will look to press home advantage
In contrast, Filipe Coelho sets up Universitatea Craiova to press high up the pitch, and his men will try to squeeze the life out of Ararat-Armenia here. Craiova's 3-back shape allows the wing-backs to get forward, and they'll try to exploit the space in behind Ararat-Armenia's wide players.
The White-Blues have been inconsistent in all competitions so far this term, notching up 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats from their last 10 fixtures. Craiova have been far from convincing on their travels, taking 2 draws and 2 defeats from 4 attempts, and averaging just 0.75 goals per game.
A nervy second-leg awaits
The first-leg result of 1-1 and the oddsmakers' perceptions of this contest suggest that this is still a very tight affair, which it is. However, the difference here is that Craiova are the favourites, when in fact, this is a pretty even fixture overall.
With those factors considered, the Under 2.5 goals market looks a great bet at around 1.95, while Both Teams To Score-Yes is a decent play at 1.67.
Alexandros Malis top scores for Ararat-Armenia in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 with 1 goal in 1 game, while Carlos Mora leads the way for Craiova with 1 goal in 3.
