Preview: Lincoln Red Imps vs Inter Club d'Escaldes - prediction, team news, lineups

The 2026-27 Champions League campaign gets under way this week as Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps welcome Andorra's Inter Club d'Escaldes to Europa Point Stadium on Tuesday for the first leg of their first qualifying round tie.

This will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, with the return leg set to take place a week later at the Estadi Nacional rather than Inter's usual home ground in Encamp, which is undergoing pitch renovations.

Match preview

Lincoln head into the new campaign as serial Gibraltar champions after securing a sixth successive Gibraltar Football League title, edging rivals St Joseph's on head-to-head record before completing the domestic double with a 5-0 demolition of Mons Calpe in the Rock Cup final.

This is far from unfamiliar territory for the Red Imps, who became the first Gibraltarian club to enter Champions League qualifying back in the 2014-15 season.

They remain Gibraltar's standard-bearers in European competition, having reached the UEFA Conference League group stage for the first time in 2021-22 after eliminating Latvian champions Riga FC, an achievement they repeated in 2025-26 when they also became the first Gibraltarian side to win a European league-phase match courtesy of a 2-1 home victory over Polish champions Lech Poznan.

Their most famous Champions League moment came in 2016 when Lee Casciaro's goal secured a stunning 1-0 victory over Scottish champions Celtic in Brendan Rodgers' first game in charge of the Hoops, although they ultimately bowed out after a 3-0 defeat in the second leg at Celtic Park.

In last season's Champions League, Lincoln progressed from the opening qualifying round before losing to Red Star Belgrade in the second, dropping into Europa League qualifying, where they advanced to the play-off round before Braga ended their hopes, sending them into the Conference League league phase.

There has also been change in the dugout, with long-serving head coach Juanjo Bezares moving into the role of technical secretary ahead of the new campaign and former Cadiz B boss Juanma Pavon taking charge in May, meaning Tuesday's contest will be his first competitive match in charge.

Although this is Lincoln's first meeting with Inter, they do have previous experience against Andorran opposition, having defeated FC Santa Coloma 2-1 on aggregate in the first qualifying round of the 2015-16 Champions League to become the first Gibraltarian club to reach the second qualifying round.

Inter also arrive after retaining the Andorran Primera Divisio title in 2025-26, a second consecutive championship and the club's fifth overall, having previously lifted the trophy in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2024-25.

This will be Inter's fifth appearance in Champions League qualifying since making their debut in 2020-21 after winning the domestic title the previous season.

They have never progressed beyond the opening qualifying round of the Champions League, while their best European runs have ended in the second qualifying round of other UEFA competitions.

Last season, Inter came agonisingly close to reaching the next stage after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Romanian giants FCSB, recovering from a 3-1 first-leg defeat in Bucharest with a 2-1 home victory that ultimately proved insufficient.

Unlike their opponents, Inter head into the campaign with managerial continuity, as Felip Ortiz remains at the helm after taking charge in June 2024 following the departure of Otger Canals.

Lincoln Red Imps Champions League form:

Lincoln Red Imps form (all competitions):

Inter Club d'Escaldes Champions League form:

Inter Club d'Escaldes form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Lincoln will have attacking options in Kike Gomez, Yussef El Falahi Idrissi and 44-year-old club legend Lee Casciaro, all of whom are pushing to start in Juanma Pavon's first competitive fixture in charge.

Mandi, Joe, Toni, Graeme Torrilla and Nico Pinto are among the midfielders competing for places, while Ethan Jolley, Ethan Britto and Christian Rutjens will also hope to earn starting roles.

Inter's key players include experienced goalkeeper Javi Diaz, midfielder Juan Camara, forward Maurizio Pochettino and leading marksman Borja Arellano, who finished as the Primera Divisio's top scorer last season with 19 goals.

The Andorran champions have also strengthened during the summer, bringing in midfielder Lamine Diaby, wide players Sule Sidibe and Alfred Planas, left-back Marc Rodriguez and winger Juanda Fuentes on loan from Gimnastic Tarragona.

Lincoln Red Imps possible starting lineup:

Hankins; Kolega, Ayew, Eersteling, Toscano; Pozo, Clinton; Flalhi, De Barr, Juanje; Casciaro

Inter Club d'Escaldes possible starting lineup:

Adri; Dacu, Pochettino, Sanchez, Torres; David Lopez, Messo, Sans; Arellano, Chouaib, Kaxe

We say: Lincoln Red Imps 1-0 Inter Club d'Escaldes

Lincoln's superior European pedigree gives them a slight edge heading into the first leg, but Inter have steadily built valuable continental experience in recent seasons and possess enough quality to keep the tie finely balanced ahead of next week's return in Andorra.
 

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