The first qualifying round match of the 2025/26 Europa League between Legia (Poland) and Aktobe (Kazakhstan) will take place on July 10 at the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw. Legia vs. Aktobe: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Legia
The team secured their place in the Europa League by winning the Polish Cup, while they finished fifth in the national championship. The last time the Polish side played in this European competition was in the 2021/22 season, where they finished last in Group C. Their previous international appearance ended with a defeat in the quarter-finals to the future Conference League champions of 2024/25, Chelsea (0-3, 2-1).
In the offseason, Edward Iordănescu became the new head coach.
- The club has conceded in 7 of their last 9 Europa League matches.
- Legia has a losing streak of 4 matches in this tournament.
- The team did not score in the second half in their last 5 Europa League games.
Predicted lineup for Legia (4-3-3)
Kacper Tobiasz – Paweł Wszołek, Steve Kapuadi, Rúben Vinagre, Radovan Pankov – Claude Gonçalves, Maxi Oyedele, Jurgen Elitim – Kacper Chodyna, Ilya Shkurin, Ryo Morishita.
Aktobe
The Kazakhstani team also earned their Europa League spot by winning the national cup. Aktobe has not participated in this second-tier European tournament for nearly 10 years; in the 2016/17 season, they were eliminated in the first round by MTK Budapest. Last year, the team took part in the Conference League but was limited to just one stage. In the current KPL season, Vyacheslav Levchuk's team is in third place.
- No more than two goals have been scored in Aktobe's last 8 Europa League matches.
- The team has yet to win in this tournament (4 draws, 4 losses).
- In 4 of their last 5 away European matches, the club has not conceded more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for Aktobe (4-5-1)
Andrey Vlad – Nemanja Andjelkovic, Bagdat Kairov, Bogdan Vătăjelu, Gabi Kiki – Daniel Sosa, Jairo Jean, Nikita Korzun, Daniyar Usenov, Vyacheslav Shvyrev – Artur Shushenachev.
Referee
Dalibor Černý (Czech Republic)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 20;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.8;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 15;
Penalties – 14%.
Match Prediction: Legia vs. Aktobe
The Polish side is rightfully considered the favorite in the upcoming match. Legia regularly competes in European competitions, and in the last Conference League, they were among the few teams to defeat the eventual tournament winners. At home in the Europa League, the club has shown strong results, remaining unbeaten in 7 of their last 10 matches (5 wins, 2 draws). Notably, Legia kept a clean sheet in 6 of these encounters.
Aktobe rarely delights their fans on the international stage. The team has only two wins in their last 14 European matches (4 draws, 8 losses). However, during this period, the club has never conceded more than two goals, but they have also failed to score in 8 matches. Vyacheslav Levchuk's side has a slight advantage due to match practice, but this factor is unlikely to be enough for a positive outcome against a strong European competitor.
My prediction: Legia will not lose and Total under 3.5 goals
