Preview:Drita vs Copenhagen - prediction, team news, lineups

Following a tale of two first-leg penalties, Copenhagen have the upper hand in their Champions League second qualifying round tie with Drita ahead of Tuesday's second leg in Pristina.

The Danish heavyweights arrive in Kosovo with a 2-0 lead to protect, as well as 100% record in 2025-26, having also won both of their opening Superliga contests.

Match preview

Defeating Differdange saw Drita earn the right to pit their wits against established Champions League competitors Copenhagen, and the Kosovo outfit were not outfought or outclassed in open play by their more revered foes.

However, Zekirija Ramadani's men paid the price for the concession of two second-half penalties, which were both converted by substitute Magnus Mattsson to put Copenhagen firmly in control of their European destiny.

While Drita had their backs against the wall for a good portion of the tie - as was to be expected - keeping Copenhagen at bay in open play and also registering eight shots of their own are good omens for a potential colossal comeback.

The current and four-time Kosovan champions can also take solace from the fact that 15 of their last 17 home matches across all competitions have ended in victory, albeit not against the calibre of opposition that Copenhagen provide.

Even if Ramadani's side cannot pull off an improbable turnaround on Tuesday, their continental adventure will continue in the third round of Europa League qualifying, so a maiden appearance in the league phase of a European tournament remains a distinct possibility.

Lions boss Jacob Neestrup was gleeful but grounded in the wake of his side's first-leg victory, expressing pride at his side's ability to break down a deep defence while lamenting a poor start to the second half.

However, the 37-year-old's overriding emotion was a sense of joy having anticipated a frustrating battle against a rearguard-heavy Drita side, who conceded the first penalty to Mattsson just one minute after the midfielder's introduction off the bench.

Either side of their two-goal success in leg one, Copenhagen have made the perfect start to their Danish Superliga title defence, opening the campaign with a 3-2 success at Viborg before conquering Velje 2-0 on Saturday.

Former Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Youssoufa Moukoko had a say in his side's triumph at the weekend, providing the assist for Jordan Larsson's strike after Lukas Lerager had put the Lions ahead with just two minutes gone.

Across both friendlies and competitive fixtures, Copenhagen have now strung together an eye-catching 15-match unbeaten run, and their reward for seeing off Drita will be a third-round qualifying tie with either Swedish giants Malmo or Latvian titans RFS.

Drita Champions League form:

Copenhagen Champions League form:

Copenhagen form (all competitions):

Team News

Drita emerged unscathed on the physical front from last week's first leg, and having also picked up no suspension-inducing red or yellow cards, Ramadani is expected to be working with an identical group of players.

Twenty-two-year-old forward Veton Tusha was only considered for a place on the bench last time out despite netting in the 3-2 first-round second-leg victory over Differdange, but he is a viable option for change up top.

Third-choice goalkeeper Eron Isufi is the only absentee for the hosts; the 20-year-old is expected to be out until the end of September due to a back injury.

It is also as you were on the fitness front for Copenhagen, who are still missing the injured trio of Oliver Hojer (surgery), Junnosuke Suzuki (unspecified) and former Arsenal goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson (hand).

Runarsson's comeback is thought to be imminent, but Dominik Kotarski should continue in goal over the Icelandic shot-stopper and Nathan Trott, a former England youth international.

Further up the pitch, Neestrup has admitted that Moukoko is still building his fitness back up, so it would not be a surprise to see the 20-year-old drop to the bench after he played 80 minutes of the weekend's Superliga win.

Drita possible starting lineup:

Maloku; Be. Krasniqi, Beytulai, Mesa, Ovouka; Broja; Balaj, Dabiqaj, Limaj, Tusha; Manaj

Copenhagen possible starting lineup:

Kotarski; Zague, Garananga, Pereira, Meling; Larsson, Delaney, Clem, Elyounoussi; Cornelius, Mattsson

We say: Drita 0-1 Copenhagen (Copenhagen win 3-0 on aggregate)

Drita's defensive might won out for over an hour in the first leg, but the hosts must now go gung-ho on the attacking front if they are to keep their European adventure alive.

However, Ramadani's forward line could be stunted by Copenhagen's compact 4-4-2, and as the hosts leave gaps at the back in search of goals, the Danes can capitalise to safely progress into round three and make it four wins from four in 2025-26.

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