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

Celje begin their 2026-27 Champions League qualifying campaign in the second round with a trip to Arena Egnatia on Wednesday to face Egnatia Rrogozhine.

The hosts will look to build on their recent continental success, having emphatically overcome Petrocub in the second leg of their first-round tie to secure progression.

Match preview

After bowing out early to Borac and Breidablik in the last two years, Egnatia appeared destined for another quick exit when they fell behind less than a minute into their Champions League qualifying opener against Petrocub.

However, Nevil Dede’s side battled to a 1-1 draw at Stadionul Zimbru before storming to a 6-1 win in the return leg, progressing to the second qualifying round for the first time as they aim for a maiden appearance in the UCL tournament proper.

Either side of a 3-2 friendly defeat to CSKA Sofia, the Rrogozhine-based outfit are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches, a remarkable turnaround after winning only one of their previous nine across all competitions.

Egnatia’s six-goal haul last time out was their highest ever on the continental scene, and after four consecutive games without a clean sheet, the hosts will likely need to be at their attacking best to take a first-leg advantage.

With no wins and seven goals conceded across their three away UCL qualifying matches so far, the onus is more on Egnatia to get the job done in front of their fans, who have seen their team lose a European home game within regulation time only once since July 2024.

A year after their dominant 2024 title win, Celje endured a disappointing 2025 campaign, finishing 13 points adrift of Olimpija. However, the Slovenian giants bounced back in style last season to claim their third title in seven years.

Vitor Campelos's side have never progressed beyond the second round of Champions League qualifying, suffering a 6-1 defeat to Slovan Bratislava at this stage in their most recent attempt in 2024.

Like Egnatia, Celje have been defensively vulnerable of late, conceding in four consecutive matches - seven goals in total - while recording just one win in that span.

A 2-2 draw with Mura was hardly the ideal start to Rumeno-modri’s title defence, but the resilience shown to come from behind twice would have pleased Campelos, who is overseeing his first full season since being appointed in March.

Celje travel to Rrogozhine on the back of five consecutive away wins, four of them with clean sheets. This strong form on the road will give them confidence as they look to return home in a commanding position to reach the next round.

Egnatia Rrogozhine Champions League form:

Egnatia Rrogozhine form (all competitions):

Celje form (all competitions):

Team News

Albano Aleksi missed Egnatia’s most recent outing due to suspension, but is eligible to return for Wednesday’s clash.

This could see Karim Loukili drop to the bench, although the 29-year-old impressed when called upon last time out.

Ildi Gruda made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist in just 26 minutes against Petrocub and will be pushing for a place in the hosts’ starting XI.

Armandas Kucys ended last season with a man-of-the-match display against Primorje but endured a disappointing start to this campaign, receiving a red card on Sunday.

However, the 23-year-old is expected to keep his place in the lineup, with a one-match domestic suspension looming.

Building on his form during the visitors’ title run, Svit Seslar’s brace against Mura takes him to 11 direct goal contributions in his last nine matches, making him a key player to watch.

Egnatia Rrogozhine possible starting lineup:

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

Celje possible starting lineup:

Leban; Koutris, Calusic, Vuklisevic; Ivansek, Seslar, Zabukovnik, Kvesic; Avdyli, Kucys, Tusha

We say: Egnatia Rrogozhine 1-2 Celje

Neither team has been defensively solid in the build-up to Wednesday’s clash, and with five of Egnatia’s last six matches seeing both teams score, another end-to-end contest looks likely.

That said, Celje’s strong away form should give them confidence to secure a hard-fought victory on the road.

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