Preview: Celje vs Egnatia Rrogozhine - prediction, team news, lineups

Celje will be aiming to progress to the next round of the 2026-27 Champions League qualifying campaign when they welcome Egnatia Rrogozhine to Arena Z'dezele for the second leg of their second qualifying-round tie.

The two sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in Albania in the first leg, and while Celje will now have home advantage on their side, another cracking contest could be on the cards.

Match preview

The Counts won the 2025-26 Slovenian league title, finishing seven points clear of Koper, and they now face the considerable challenge of progressing beyond the second round of Champions League qualifying.

The 2026-27 domestic campaign has already begun, with Celje earning a 2-2 draw against Mura in their opening fixture after twice coming from behind.

In 2024, Celje suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat to Slovan Bratislava at this stage of Champions League qualifying, and Vitor Campelos's side will be determined to avoid a similar fate, particularly with home advantage on their side.

The Counts are unbeaten in their last four matches, including two friendlies, although their defensive vulnerability remains a concern after conceding in each of those fixtures.

Egnatia Rrogozhine, in contrast, finished third in the Kategoria Superiore last season, collecting 57 points from 36 matches.

The Rrogozhine-based club ended the campaign six points behind Vllaznia, with their 11 league defeats ultimately proving costly in their pursuit of a higher finish.

Egnatia began their Champions League qualifying campaign against Petrocub, earning a 1-1 draw away from home before producing a dominant display to win the return leg 6-1 at Arena Egnatia.

In the first leg against Celje, Egnatia fell 2-1 behind despite taking an early lead, but Fernando Medeiros restored parity before the visitors struck again in the 66th minute, only for substitute Ibrahim Diabate to rescue a 3-3 draw with a 78th-minute equaliser.

The Albanian outfit are now unbeaten in four matches, including a friendly against Botosani, so confidence should be high, although tightening up defensively will be a priority after their recent struggles to keep opponents at bay.

Celje Champions League form:

Celje form (all competitions):

W L D W D D

Egnatia Rrogozhine Champions League form:

D W D

Egnatia Rrogozhine form (all competitions):

D W D

Team News

Kucys endured a difficult start to the new domestic campaign, receiving a red card late in Sunday's draw against Mura, although that suspension will not affect his availability in European competition.

The striker should therefore retain his place alongside Seslar in attack, with Celje unlikely to make wholesale changes following the six-goal thriller in Albania.

Diabate made a strong case for a starting berth after coming off the bench to score Egnatia's equaliser in the first leg, although Karim Loukili is still expected to retain his place.

Albano Aleksi is available again after serving his suspension following his red card against Petrocub, but Nevil Dede may prefer to keep faith with the majority of the side that earned a draw in the first leg.

Celje possible starting lineup:

Dajsinani; Xhemajli, Bitri, Sota; Yago, Jaime, Loukili, Medeiros, Kryeziu; Bakayoko, Albanese

Egnatia Rrogozhine possible starting lineup:

Leban; Koutris, Hrka, Vuklisevic, Diounkou; Daniel, Dukuly, Kvesic, Avdyli; Kucys, Seslar

We say: Celje 3-2 Egnatia Rrogozhine

Celje have already begun their domestic campaign, while Egnatia have accumulated greater competitive experience through their Champions League qualifiers, leaving very little to separate the two sides heading into the return leg.

The first meeting highlighted the attacking quality and defensive vulnerabilities of both teams, so another open contest should be expected, but home advantage could ultimately help Celje edge a five-goal thriller and progress to the next round.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.