Preview: Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Vikingur Reykjavik - prediction, team news, lineups

Hapoel Be'er Sheva must find a way to overturn a one-goal deficit on Wednesday when they welcome Vikingur Reykjavik to Turner Stadium for the second leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie.

The Icelandic outfit edged last week's first leg 2-1 at Víkingsvollur, a result that marked the maiden competitive meeting between the two clubs.

Match preview

Although Hapoel enjoyed just two percent less possession than their opponents in last week's first leg in Iceland, the difference in attacking threat was far more significant, with the Camels managing just five shots in total and two on target compared to Vikingur's 13 attempts, and that gulf ultimately proved decisive.

Nikolaj Hansen broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half before Kings Kangwa levelled moments later, and although Niv Yehoshua thought he had fired the Israelis into a 2-1 lead, the goal was ruled out for offside before the Dane completed his brace in the 86th minute to settle the contest.

That defeat continued a difficult run for Hapoel, who travelled to Iceland on the back of a 3-1 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super Cup after a mixed pre-season campaign in which Ran Kozuch's men won only one of their three friendly matches (D1, L1).

The Camels have now lost four consecutive competitive games, having also ended the 2025-26 campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the State Cup final after suffering a 5-2 loss at Turner Stadium on the final day of their title-winning Ligat ha'Al season.

Hapoel's biggest concern has been their lack of defensive solidity, with the Israeli champions conceding at least twice in each of their last eight matches, although they have also found the net in every one of those games, including all five competitive outings during that run.

While Kozuch will be looking for greater balance at both ends as his side attempt to overturn their deficit on Wednesday, the Camels will also hope to avoid a repeat of history, with their previous Champions League campaign ending at this very stage after they lost the first leg away to Dinamo Zagreb before drawing the return fixture in 2018-19.

Meanwhile, Vikingur are competing at this stage of the competition for the first time after edging past Gyor 3-2 on aggregate, having won the first leg in Iceland before battling to a 2-2 draw in Hungary, and the Vikes would gladly accept a similar outcome here.

Heading into Wednesday's second leg on the back of consecutive victories, Solvi Geir Ottesen Jonsson's side followed last week's European success with an emphatic 5-1 thrashing of Keflavik, with Karl Gunnarsson, Stigur Thordarson, Oskar Borgthorsson, Tarik Ibrahimagic and Armann Finnbogason all getting on the scoresheet.

That result left the Reykjavik club eight points clear at the top of the Besta deild karla after winning 14 of their opening 16 league matches (D1, L1) of the campaign, underlining a dominant title defence, having lifted the championship by a 12-point margin over Valur last season.

Heading into Wednesday, Vikingur will draw confidence from their remarkable resilience, having lost just two of their last 27 matches across all competitions (W23, D2), while scoring at least twice in 22 of those outings, a record that should encourage them against a Hapoel side struggling defensively.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Champions League form:

Vikingur Reykjavik Champions League form:

Vikingur Reykjavik form (all competitions):

Team News

Hapoel will enter this encounter without Joao Victor due to injury, while fellow summer signing Yehoshua is pushing for another start after making his full debut in last week's first leg.

Expected to play his final game for the club before completing a move to Panathinaikos, Zambian midfielder Kangwa will be hoping to bow out on a high after scoring in back-to-back matches.

Meanwhile, Vikingur have not picked up any fresh injury concerns in recent outings, although veteran goalkeeper Ingvar Jonsson remains sidelined.

Manager Ottesen made four changes for last weekend's victory over Keflavik, although defenders Karl Gunnarsson, Oliver Ekroth, Gunnar Vatnhamar and Helgi Gudjonsson all kept their places and are expected to start again.

Veteran midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson should also retain his place in midfield after an impressive display against Keflavik, while first-leg hero Hansen is expected to return to the starting lineup after being rested at the weekend.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva possible starting lineup:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Diop, Davidzada; Kangwa, Lucas Ventura, Yehoshua; Rumi, Zlatanovic, Ganah

Vikingur Reykjavik possible starting lineup:

Fridriksson; Gunnarsson, Ekroth, Vatnhamar, Gudjonsson; Sigurdsson, Ingimundarson, Hafsteinsson; Borgthorsson, Hansen, Thrandarson

We say: Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2-2 Vikingur Reykjavik (Vikingur advance 4-3 on aggregate)

Hapoel will have the backing of their supporters and enough attacking quality to cause Vikingur problems, but their poor defensive record suggests they could struggle to keep the visitors quiet.

Vikingur, meanwhile, have shown plenty of firepower in recent weeks, and we expect the Icelandic champions to do enough to earn a draw and secure a historic place in the third qualifying round.

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