Preview: Saburtalo Tbilisi vs Jagiellonia Bialystok - prediction, team news, lineups

Jagiellonia Bialystok will hope to coast over the line in the second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against hosts Saburtalo Tbilisi on Thursday at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.

Given the visitors lead 4-0 from last week's first leg, most will predict that Saburtalo have no chance of progressing from the final qualifying round, though European football is known for its surprises.

Match preview

Saburtalo were competitive in terms of shots - they produced 13 shots to Jagiellonia Bialystok's 15 - but they rarely threatened in front of goal.

The hosts have never scored four times in any of their European fixtures, and they have netted just three goals in their last five continental outings.

It would be understandable if boss Andriy Demchenko was focused on the Georgian top flight considering they are third with 34 points and are only in the final Conference League spot due to goal difference.

The Red Eagles have triumphed in just one of their six most recent European clashes at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, with the club losing three times, scoring seven goals and conceding on 11 occasions.

Saburtalo should take comfort from the fact failure to advance from the final qualifying round would not bring an end to their European adventure this season, as they would be entered into the Conference League league phase.

Jagiellonia Bialystok's success against their hosts ended a streak of two games without victory, and it was the first time since February 26 that they managed to score at least four goals.

The visitors come into the second leg having won five of their seven outings this campaign, and their only loss in 2026-27 came against Widzew Lodz on August 9, but that 2-0 defeat was sandwiched between two Europa League games against Rangers.

Jaga are unbeaten in their last eight away contests in Europe, drawing four fixtures while winning three times, and they only conceded more than one goal once.

Manager Adrian Siemieniec's side have also never lost by a margin of at least four goals in UEFA competitions, and the last time they conceded four goals was in an away match against giants Ajax in 2024-25.

Jagiellonia Bialystok have netted two or more goals in seven of their past 17 continental clashes, with three of those games coming in their last five UEFA matches.

Saburtalo Tbilisi Europa League form:

Saburtalo Tbilisi form (all competitions):

Jagiellonia Bialystok Europa League form:

Jagiellonia Bialystok form (all competitions):

Team News

Saburtalo must be aggressive from the start of the match if they want to advance, and that means the likes of Amiran Dzagania, Nika Sikharulashvili and Zviad Natchkebia have to be at their best.

However, the hosts also have to be careful at the back, especially as central defenders Vahid Selimovic and Aleksandre Amisulashvili are likely to face a number of counter-attacks.

There is no reason to think that Jagiellonia Bialystok will name a different lineup to the one that comprehensively won the first leg, so expect to see Jeremy Agbonifo, Nik Prelec and Kajetan Szmyt play as a front three.

Elsewhere, Taras Romanczuk is likely to anchor midfield, and he could play appear alongside number eights Jesus Imaz and Anders Klynge.

In the backline, centre-backs Yuki Kobayashi and Bernardo Vital will almost certainly be trusted to lead the visitors' efforts for a clean sheet.

Saburtalo Tbilisi possible starting lineup:

Makaridze; Jinjolava, Selimovic, Amisulashvili, Kobuladze; Dadian, Alhassan, Kardava; Dzagania, Sikharulashvili, Natchkebia

Jagiellonia Bialystok possible starting lineup:

Abramowicz; Wojtuszek, Vital, Kobayashi, Montoia; Imaz, Romanczuk, Klynge; Agbonifo, Prelec, Szmyt

We say: Saburtalo Tbilisi 1-3 Jagiellonia Bialystok (Jagiellonia Bialystok win 7-1 on aggregate)

Jagiellonia Bialystok must be considered strong favourites to advance, and they should be able to play without fear on Thursday.

Saburtalo will may leave gaps at the back in search of goals, and that could expose their defence during transitions, so it would not be surprising if they lost once again.

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