Rijeka vs Ludogorets Prediction and Betting Tips

Rijeka will face Ludogorets at the Stadion Rujevica on Tuesday in the first leg of their 2025-26 second-round UEFA Champions League qualifying clash. The home side enjoyed a brilliant campaign last season as they lifted the Croatian First League title for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign to end Dinamo Zagreb's monopoly of the competition in recent years.

They have returned to the Champions League qualifiers for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They locked horns with The New Saints at this stage of the competition that season, beating the Welsh club 7-1 on aggregate.

Ludogorets, meanwhile, participated in the opening round of the qualifiers, facing Dinamo Minsk, whom they secured a 1-0 victory over in the first leg via a late winner from Filip Kaloc. They then played out a 2-2 draw with the Belarusian side in the second leg, with Yves Erick Bile scoring the crucial equalizer in extra time.

The visitors returned to league action on Saturday, thrashing Septemvri 5-0, and will be looking to take inspiration from that when they head to Croatia this week.

Rijeka vs Ludogorets Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Tuesday's game will mark the first competitive and overall second meeting between the two clubs.
The two teams faced off for the first time in a friendly clash back in January 2015, which Ludogorets won 2-1.
Rijeka's only competitive encounter with Bulgarian opponents came back in the 2005-06 UEFA Cup qualifiers when they faced Litex Lovech, losing the two-legged tie on away goals.
Ludogorets have had six meetings with Croatian opposition in European competitions. They have won two of those games, drawn once and lost the other three.

Rijeka vs Ludogorets Prediction

Riječki bijeli ended their pre-season campaign with two defeats from three and will be looking to bounce back here. They will be keen to capitalize on their home advantage to secure a result ahead of the second leg next week.

The Eagles have won two of their last three matches after winning just one of their previous 10. They are, however, winless in their last four games on the road and could lose this one.

Prediction: Rijeka 1-0 Ludogorets

Rijeka vs Ludogorets Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Rijeka to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Four of the hosts' last five matches have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of the visitors' last five matches)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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