Steau vs Aberdeen: UEFA Europa League Prediction (28.08.2025)

On Thursday, August 28 at 20:30 CEST at the National Arena in Bucharest, local club Steau Bucharest will face Scottish side Aberdeen in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2025-2026 fourth qualifying round. The first match in Scotland ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Ahead of the decisive clash, bookmakers heavily favor the home team. A bet on the red-and-blues to win in regular time is offered at Odds 1.59, while their qualification to the group stage is priced at 1.24. For the Reds, the odds are 5.50 for victory and 4.00 to advance. Bookmakers also expect a tighter match compared to the first leg: Over 2.5 goals is at 1.94, and both teams to score is at 1.99.

Steau Bucharest 

Elias Charalambous’ side has had a disastrous start in the domestic league, with just one win in six rounds. Sitting 12th in the table, they trail leaders Universitatea Craiova by 11 points—an unacceptable start for the reigning champions.

Failure to qualify for the Europa League would further frustrate fans. The team had already dropped out of the Champions League qualifiers against Shkëndija from North Macedonia. Since then, Steaua have failed to keep a clean sheet in any match.

Aberdeen

Jimmy Thelin’s squad has also been struggling. In their first two Scottish Premiership matches, they failed to score, conceded four goals, and are bottom of the table.

Surprisingly, they found the net twice against Steau Bucharest, both goals coming from substitutes after trailing 0-2. Whether they can repeat that impact in Bucharest remains uncertain.

Head-to-head statistics

Aberdeen dominated the first leg statistically: possession 72%-28%, total shots 28-10, on target 7-4, corners 5-3, passes completed 534-164. Yet, expected goals (xG) favored Steau Bucharest 1.79–1.43.

Prediction

Despite their shaky form, Steaua’s superior squad quality was evident even while playing shorthanded.

Backing a Steaua Bucharest win in regular time at odds of 1.59 looks like the most solid bet.