Preview: FC Utrecht vs Sheriff Tiraspol - prediction, team news, lineups

FC Utrecht and Sheriff Tiraspol will draw the curtain on their Europa League second-round qualifying tie when they go head-to-head at Stadion Galgenwaard on Thursday.

In possession of a 3-1 advantage from last week's first leg, the home side are on course to make it through to the third round barring a capitulation in front of their fans.

Match preview

Courtesy of a 5-2 triumph on aggregate, Sheriff Tiraspol made light work of Prishtina in the first round of the qualifiers, although they did lose the second leg 2-1, a result which has ushered in a rough patch after such a fine start to the season.

Victor Mihailov's men are without a win in four straight matches across all competitions, losing three of them, most recently a 3-2 defeat against Zimbru Chisinau that ended an unbeaten start to the new league campaign.

While Sheriff's domestic affairs remain unscathed, given their position at the summit of the Super Liga, their continental journey is currently in danger of coming to a premature end.

Zholto-Chornyye have been found wanting at the back more often than not of late, and a solid defensive performance is the first step if they are to stand any chance of pulling off a miracle.

Amarildo Gjoni's return to the scoresheet was perhaps the positive from Sheriff's last outing, as the Moldovan outfit will need their top scorer at his best ahead of Thursday's trip to Utrecht.

Having lost both of their final two pre-season friendlies, Utrecht headed to Moldova for the start of their European campaign in less than ideal form and would have been dreading a third straight defeat when they went behind to Peter Ademo's opener.

However, Ron Jans's men dragged themselves level just past the half-hour mark through Victor Jensen before Nick Viergever and Adrian Blake completed the turnaround after the restart.

That was a first victory in four competitive outings for De Domstedelingen, who ended the last Eredivisie season with one point from the final nine available, denying them a top-three finish and, consequently, a shot at Champions League football.

Aiming to feature in a major UEFA competition for the first time since 2011, Utrecht will now have to settle for a place in the Europa League at best, and their most recent victory has put them one step closer towards achieving that.

Despite heading into Thursday's game with a two-goal cushion, the hosts are unlikely to take their foot off the gas on home turf, where they won three of their final four league matches last season, including a 4-0 demolition of Ajax.

FC Utrecht Europa League Qualifying form:

FC Utrecht form (all competitions):

Sheriff Tiraspol Europa League Qualifying form:

Sheriff Tiraspol form (all competitions):

Team News

Rickson Van Hees and Rafik El Arguioui are still a long way off returning to action for Utrecht as they continue to battle with knee injuries.

Zidane Iqbal is also out of contention due to a long-term injury that has kept him on the sidelines since early April.

Gjivai Zechiel marked his official debut for the home side with an assist, and the midfielder is expected to retain his starting berth.

Papa Ndiaga Yade was hauled off with an injury in the first half of Tiraspol's last involvement, making the Mauritanian a huge doubt to feature on Thursday.

Should Yade be deemed unfit to participate, 20-year-old Konan Varvar is the prime candidate to come into the visitors' lineup.

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Barkas; El Karouani, Van der Hoorn, Viergever, Horemans; Blake, Jensen, Zechiel, Engwanda; Min, Cathline

Sheriff Tiraspol possible starting lineup:

Dyulgerov; Swen, Boakye, Magassouba; Serobyan, Ademo, Soumah, Rai; Diarra, Gjoni, Yade