Rijeka (home)
- Spanish coach Víctor Sánchez has instilled a Spanish-style tactical order on his Rijeka squad since taking over in September 2025, focusing on structure, set-piece danger and controlled attacking patterns from central areas.
- Rijeka are built on a compact 4-2-3-1 system with strong defensive foundations and a solid goalkeeper in Martin Zlomislić, who has kept a number of clean sheets in European matches this season.
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Recent form:
- Won four of their last five competitive matches across all competitions.
- Croatian Cup win over Hajduk (3-2).
- Conference League playoff win over Omonia Nicosia (4-1 on aggregate).
- Toni Fruk is Rijeka’s talisman and top scorer in all competitions this season (14 goals).
- Tiago Dantas and Daniel Adu-Adjei have also chipped in with crucial goals and assists.
Racing Club Strasbourg (away)
- Gary O’Neil has developed a more pragmatic approach to the 4-2-3-1 since taking over as Racing Club Strasbourg manager in January 2026, with Lucas Høgsberg and Junior Mwanga providing a solid defensive base and the pace in transition to maximize the talents of number nine Joaquín Panichelli.
- Panichelli has 14 Ligue 1 goals this term and 17 overall.
- Strasbourg are unbeaten in their last five, mixing draws and wins, and just defeated Reims (2-1) to reach the Coupe de France semi-final.
Head-to-Head
- This is the first-ever matchup between the two clubs in European competition.
- Rijeka are the current Croatian SuperSport HNL third-placed team while Racing Club Strasbourg sit eighth in Ligue 1.
Key Players
- Toni Fruk - Rijeka talisman and top scorer (14 goals).
- Martin Zlomislić - Rijeka goalkeeper with multiple European clean sheets.
- Tiago Dantas - Rijeka attacking contributor with goals and assists.
- Daniel Adu-Adjei - Rijeka attacking contributor with goals and assists.
- Joaquín Panichelli - Strasbourg number nine and main goal threat (14 Ligue 1 goals, 17 overall).
- Lucas Høgsberg and Junior Mwanga - Strasbourg defensive base.
Betting Insights
- Bookmakers have both teams set at similar prices to win, with Strasbourg marginally favoured (1.97) to Rijeka (3.6) and the draw at 3.45.
- The main betting selection noted is both teams to score at 1.73, reflecting the recent goal-scoring form of both clubs and the decisive value of any away goal (there is no away-goals rule in UEFA competitions).
Prediction
- Main prediction: a tight 1-1 draw for the first leg.
- Alternative: Rijeka 1-0, backed by momentum in knockout ties and a passionate crowd at Stadion Rujevica.
