Plzeň and Levski Sofia Chase Their First Europa League Win

Two teams still searching for their first points of the campaign meet at Doosan Arena, and for both sides this game is starting to carry real weight. Viktoria Plzeň sit at the bottom of the overall Europa League table, with 0 points from two matches played, while Levski Sofia sit just one spot above, also without a win but with a draw that at least puts a point on the board. The gap between the two in the standings is just 1 point.

Plzeň's record in the competition makes for grim reading: two losses in two outings, with 1 goal scored and 5 allowed. The defensive fragility is plain to see, and the team's current form isn't helping matters either: over their last five matches they've racked up four losses, with just a single win mixed in. Levski Sofia, on the other hand, arrive with a bit more confidence. Their record in the tournament shows a draw and a loss, with 1 goal scored and 2 allowed, but their recent form is more encouraging: over their last five matches they picked up two wins, two draws and just one loss.

It's also worth looking at the trends from this 2026 Europa League campaign, though the sample is small, just two matches combined between home and away, and shouldn't be confused with the team's overall record in the competition. In that sample, Plzeň failed to keep a clean sheet in either match, and their most productive scoring window came between the 76th and 90th minutes, with Denis Visinsky as their top scorer in that stretch. Levski Sofia also failed to keep a clean sheet in their matches, and their best scoring run came between the 31st and 45th minutes, with Reinaldo as their standout name there.

Probable Lineups

With the caveat that these are estimated lineups of low reliability, Viktoria Plzeň could start with Florian Wiegele in goal, a back four of Sampson Dweh, Merchas Doski, Filip Prebsl and Karel Spácil, a midfield featuring Patrik Hrosovsky (a starter in six of his last six matches), Amar Memic, Alexandr Sojka and Cheick Souaré, and a front two of Prince Adu and Denis Visinsky.

For Levski Sofia, the expected setup would have Svetoslav Vutsov in goal, a defense of Christian Makoun, Kristian Dimitrov, Maicon and Aldair, a midfield of Mehdi El Moubarik, Serginho and Marko Grujic, and an attacking trio of Everton Bala, Reinaldo and Mazire Soula.

What the Numbers Say Before Kickoff

Our model projects a tightly contested match, with the three outcomes splitting the probabilities almost evenly:

The expected goals estimate also reflects that balance: 1.12 for each team, for a projected total of 2.24 goals in the match. It's worth noting this is an in-house projection based on the season's trends, not a betting line or a definitive forecast.

With both teams in need of a first taste of joy in the competition, the match at Doosan Arena has all the makings of a contest decided by fine margins. Neither side arrives with much certainty behind it, and that could make this a more open matchup than the standings alone suggest.