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

Israeli champions Hapoel Be'er Sheva get their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign underway when they journey to Vikingsvollur to face Iceland champions Vikingur Reykjavik in the first leg of the second round on Tuesday.

The home side dug deep to narrowly see off Hungarian outfit Gyor in the first qualifying round and will look to build on that result as they chase a first appearance in the group stage of Europe's elite club competition.

Match preview

A dramatic 92nd-minute winner from Nikolaj Hansen in the first leg against Gyor at Vikingsvollur proved to be the strike that sent Vikingur Reykjavik through to the Champions League second qualifying round as they claimed the tie 3-2 on aggregate after a four-goal thriller in last Tuesday's second leg.

Gyor found themselves trailing again in front of their home supporters when Daniel Hafsteinsson opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and after fighting back into the tie through an own goal from Sveinn Gíisli Porkelsson and Milan Vitalis's 38th-minute penalty, experienced midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson netted in the 55th minute to put the visitors in front and hand them an aggregate win.

Vikingur Reykjavik have now equalled their best performance in the UCL qualifiers by reaching the second qualifying round, a feat they first achieved in the 2024-25 campaign, but confidence was dented at the weekend when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Por Akureyri in the league.

Solvi Geir's men had won each of their previous 12 Iceland Besta-deild karla matches and were unbeaten in 22 straight games, claiming 20 wins and two draws, a run which saw them clinch the league title last season with two games to spare and 12 points clear of runners-up Valur.

However, given their outstanding run on their own patch, Vikingur Reykjavik will fancy their chances of bouncing back on Tuesday at Vikingsvollur, where they are on a run of 23 consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, picking up an impressive 19 wins and four draws since a 4-2 loss against Stjarnan Gardabaer in August 2025.

Meanwhile, hopes of a positive start to the 2026-27 campaign were dashed for Hapoel Be'er Sheva as they kicked off the new season with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super Cup last Thursday.

After falling behind to Saied Abu Farchi's 10th-minute opener, Kings Kangwa levelled the scores with a brilliant finish five minutes later, but second-half goals from Dor Peretz and Farchi's second of the game saw Maccabi Tel Aviv clinch the first domestic silverware of the season.

This was in keeping with their uninspiring run of results in pre-season, with Hapoel Be'er Sheva managing just one win from their three matches, which came on July 1, when they fought back from two goals down to claim a 3-2 victory over Polish outfit Radomiak Radom.

Ran Kozuch's men head into the new campaign aiming to carry on with the momentum from last season, when they clinched the Israeli Premier League crown - their sixth league title and a first since 2018.

The immediate goal for Hapoel is to qualify for a historic first appearance in the Champions League group stages, having come closest in the 2017-18 campaign, when they reached the playoff round before suffering a heavy 5-2 on aggregate loss to Maribor.

Vikingur Reykjavik Champions League form:

Vikingur Reykjavik form (all competitions):

Hapoel Be'er Sheva form (all competitions):

Team News

Vikingur Reykjavik remain without the services of veteran goalkeeper Ingvar Jonsson, who has been ruled out since May through a severe health condition.

Robert Orri Porkels was forced off injured midway through the game against Por Akureyri on Saturday through injury and the 24-year-old defender is a doubt for Tuesday's matchup.

Sigurdsson was a star performer in the second leg against Gyor last Tuesday when he set up the opener and netted the equaliser, and the former Everton man will look to deliver the goods once again.

Kangwa was instrumental in Hapoel's title run last season, with the 27-year-old racking up 21 goal involvements in the league, and the Zambian forward will be one to keep an eye on at Vikingsvollur.

The Israeli outfit have brought in new faces this summer, and after making their debuts off the bench against Tel Aviv last time out, Niv Yehoshua and Brazilian forward Joao Victor will be pushing for starting roles on Tuesday.

Vikingur Reykjavik possible starting lineup:

Kristinsson; Gunnarsson, Ekroth, Porkelsson, Gudjonsson; Ibrahimagic, Hafsteinsson, Sigurdsson, Ingimundarson, Hansen, Borgporsson

Hapoel Be'er Sheva possible starting lineup:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Vitor, Blorian, Lopes, Ventura, Peretz, Ganah, Kangwa, Zlatanovic, Levy

We say: Vikingur Reykjavik 2-1 Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Vikingur showed their mettle to get past Gyor in the first leg and they are in for another tough challenge in a more experienced Hapoel Be'er Sheva side looking to bounce back following their Super Cup heartbreak.

While we expect Hapoel to put up a fight, Vikingur have proven impenetrable at Vikingsvollur, and with their home fans cheering them on, we see them winning the individual battles to take the first leg.

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