Steaua vs Shkëndija: UEFA Champions League Prediction (31.07.2025)

On Wednesday, July 31 at 00:30 WIB, Steaua Bucharest will host Shkëndija Tetovo at the National Arena in Bucharest in the second leg of the 2025–2026 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. In the first leg, the North Macedonian team narrowly won 1–0 on their home ground.

For the second match between Steaua and Shkëndija, bookmakers clearly favor the Romanian club. A bet on the “Red and Blues” to win in regular time is offered at low odds of 1.24, while their chances to advance are priced at 1.31. For the “Red and Blacks”, the odds are 12.50 and 3.48 respectively. A much higher scoring match is expected compared to the first leg: over 2.5 total goals is offered at 1.49. However, most of the goals are expected to come from the home side. Both teams to score is priced at a relatively high 1.91.

Steaua

There are serious doubts about whether Cypriot coach Elias Charalambous has real control over the squad. At the very least, FCSB are struggling to find form in the new season. Away defeats to Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes and to North Macedonian club Shkëndija suggest that the players are simply unable to demonstrate their quality against clear underdogs.

Just this past weekend, Steaua lost a home game in the Romanian league to Farul Constanța. The “Red and Blues” scored as early as the second minute, but went down to ten men in the second half and conceded the winner in the 90+10th minute. Notably, they also had a player sent off in the Tetovo leg. It’s clear that discipline is a serious issue.

Shkëndija

Jaton Beqiri’s team made the most of the first leg. While they conceded possession to the more prestigious opponent, they did their best to shut down the game. Scoring a goal was an excellent reward for their efforts.

It’s hard to expect the Macedonians to show anything new in the away leg. Against Welsh side The New Saints, the “Red and Blacks” played two very dull matches. The fans’ only real hope is that the team can provoke their opponents into non-football incidents, as happened in Tetovo.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

The statistics from the first match indicate Steaua had the edge: 53% to 43% in possession, 21:9 in shots toward goal, 5:4 in shots on target, and 6:2 in corners. However, the final score favored Shkëndija.

Prediction

The Bucharest side needs to redeem themselves in front of their home fans. The Romanians will likely try to assert their superiority early on. We predict that Steaua will score the first goal of the match in the first half, with odds of 1.57.