CSKA 1948 Sofia take on the visitors Steaua Bucuresti in the first leg of UEFA Champions League qualification quarterfinals .The match will be played on Wednesday, July 26th at National Stadium Vasil Levski (Sofia).
CSKA 1948 are starting in European competitions for the first time in this format. The Reds were founded in 2016 as a fan project of their legendary predecessor. They progressed quite quickly, starting from the regional, amateur level and climbing the ranks of Bulgarian football. In 2020, they made their debut in the top division, finishing in 5th place. Although they later dropped to 8th, the 2022/2023 season turned out to be successful for CSKA 1948, finishing in the 3rd position with a bronze medal and reaching the cup final, albeit losing it. As a result, they earned the opportunity to try themselves in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
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Steaua Bucharest are maintaining its level, but it is lower than they would like in Bucharest. The Army Men share similarities with their neighbors from Bulgaria; they are also a capital-based project that was launched after World War II under the patronage of the local Ministry of Defense and eventually became a football powerhouse. However, they have encountered problems in recent times. While they haven't gone bankrupt like some Romanian clubs, they are currently owned by the controversial but wealthy Becali. Yet, in recent years, someone else has been claiming the gold - as was the case with Farul in the 2022/2023 season. However, during that season, Steaua had a relatively decent showing on the international stage by managing to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stage, finishing in 4th place, even below Denmark's Silkeborg, whom they lost to twice with a score of 0-5.
In its current form, CSKA 1948 will play its first international match, so they haven't faced Steaua before. The Bulgarians will be the favorites at home, but their advantage, even in Sofia, is minimal. It is unlikely that either side will take unnecessary risks, so we expect a total under 2.5 goals in this match.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.5 scored goals.
