The second leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round between Utrecht (Netherlands) and Sheriff (Moldova) will take place on July 31 at the Galgenwaard Stadium. The first leg ended 3-1 in favor of Utrecht. Utrecht vs. Sheriff: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Utrecht
Ron Jans' side managed just three shots on target and an xG of 0.37 in the first match, yet they secured a 3-1 victory. This win marked Utrecht's first in their last four Europa League matches (2 draws, 1 loss). Additionally, it was the first time in five previous encounters in this competition that the club scored more than one goal. To advance to the next qualifying round, the Dutch team needs to avoid losing by more than one goal in regular time.
- The team is unbeaten in regular time in their last ten home matches in the Europa League (5 wins, 5 draws).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 7 home games in this competition.
- Utrecht has conceded a maximum of one goal in 90 minutes in 9 of their last 10 home Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Utrecht (4-4-2)
Vasilios Barkas – Sibe Horemans, Mike van der Hoorn, Nick Viergever, Souffian El Karouani – Edryan Blake, Alonso Tim Engwanda-Onjena, Jivai Zehiel, Victor Jensen – David Min, Yoann Cathlin.
Sheriff
In the first leg, Viktor Mikhailov's team suffered a home defeat. As a result, Sheriff has lost eight of their last ten Europa League matches. Moreover, in six of these encounters, the club conceded at least two goals. To progress to the next round, the team needs to win by at least three goals in regular time, and if they win by two, extra time will be required.
- The club has not won in regular time in 9 of their last 10 away matches in the Europa League (2 draws, 7 losses).
- The team has not scored more than one goal in 90 minutes in 6 of their last 7 away games in this competition.
- The Moldovans have conceded at least two goals in regular time in 5 of their last 6 away Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Sheriff (3-4-3)
Ivan Dyulgerov – Natus Jamel Sven, Nana Kwame Boakye, Soumaïla Magassouba – Rai Lopez, Ibrahima Ternasuma, Peter Ademo, Artur Serobian – Papa Yade, Mamadi Diarra, Amarildo Gjini.
Referee
Chrisovalantis Theouli (Cyprus)
Matches – 11 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 38;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 45%.
Match Prediction: Utrecht vs. Sheriff
Despite Ron Jans' side scoring three goals in the first encounter with Sheriff, the Dutch team did not display a particularly vibrant attacking performance. Additionally, in the Europa League, Utrecht rarely delights their fans with high-scoring games: in their last seven home matches in this competition, the club has only managed to score more than once on two occasions. Meanwhile, the team is capable of solid defensive play: in 9 of their last 10 home matches, Utrecht has conceded no more than one goal and kept a clean sheet six times during this period.
Sheriff struggles on the road in the Europa League and rarely achieves positive results. Furthermore, the club shows low scoring efficiency: in their last seven away matches in this tournament, the Moldovans have only surpassed one goal once. This occurred against Azerbaijan's Zira, when Sheriff played with a numerical advantage for more than half the match.
I do not expect the teams to deliver a high-scoring performance as in the first match. My prediction: Total under 3
