Plzen vs Levski Sofia prediction, team news and preview

Plzen vs Levski Sofia: what the match decides

Plzen host Levski Sofia at Doosan Arena on Thursday 22 October 2026 in the third round of the UEFA Europa League league stage. Plzen sit 31st of 36 teams with no points from two games, a goal difference of -4 and five goals conceded. Juventus lead the table on 6 points.

Levski are 24th with 1 point from a draw and a defeat, so our data places them in the play-off zone, but only just. A win for either side would move them up the table, while a home defeat would leave Plzen in real danger of falling behind early.

Plzen and Levski Sofia recent form

Plzen's last five games read LLWLW: two wins, three defeats, eight goals scored (1.6 per game) and nine conceded (1.8). They kept one clean sheet, failed to score once, and every one of those five matches produced more than 2.5 goals. Their latest result was a 3-2 win at Jablonec on 18 October, following a 1-2 loss at Ferencvarosi in this competition.

At home Plzen have won one and lost one of their two recent games, scoring 3 and conceding 3. That includes a 3-0 win over Mlada Boleslav and the 0-3 defeat to Union St. Gilloise on matchday 1.

Levski's last four games read LWDW: two wins, one draw, one defeat, five goals scored (1.25 per game) and only two conceded (0.5). They have two clean sheets and none of those four games went over 2.5 goals. Away from home they are unbeaten in three, with two wins and a draw, scoring 5 and conceding 1. The draw was 1-1 at NEC Nijmegen in Europe, and they also won 2-0 at Cherno More and 2-0 at Spartak Pleven.

Plzen vs Levski Sofia team news

Plzen are without V. Jemelka, who is out with a knee injury, and M. Tvrdon, who is listed as out because he is off the roster. A. Sojka is doubtful with health problems. Line-ups are not published yet and are confirmed about an hour before kick-off.

Levski have the longer list. P. Hristov, O. Kamdem and M. Sangare are out as they are off the roster, R. Kirilov is out with a knee injury and A. Mitkov is listed as inactive. A. Bouras is doubtful with a muscle injury.

Our data does not say how important each player is to the starting line-up. Even so, five confirmed absentees limit Levski's squad depth for a second away trip in this competition.

Storylines for Plzen and Levski Sofia

For Plzen, the story is a difficult start in Europe: two defeats, one goal scored and five conceded. Domestically the response has been better, with wins over Mlada Boleslav and Jablonec either side of a loss at Slavia Praha. The question is whether that attacking form can reach the Europa League, where they have not yet found a way past defences.

Levski arrive with a draw at NEC Nijmegen, a 0-1 home loss to Red Bull Salzburg and two domestic wins by a 2-0 scoreline in October. They are compact, concede little and take points away from home. Leaving Pilsen with a result would strengthen their position around the play-off line.

Where Plzen vs Levski Sofia could be decided

The main contrast is Plzen's open games against Levski's tight ones. Plzen's last five all passed 2.5 goals and they concede 1.8 per game. Levski have conceded 0.33 per game away and have not been part of a game over 2.5 goals in their last four.

That makes the first goal important. If Plzen score early, Levski must take more risks with a thin squad. If Levski score first, Plzen face a defence that has kept two clean sheets in three away games, and the home side's goals have been hard to find in Europe.

Plzen vs Levski Sofia head-to-head

No previous meetings between the two clubs are included in our data, so there is no head-to-head record to draw on. This analysis therefore relies on current form and the league-stage table rather than past results between these sides.

Plzen vs Levski Sofia prediction

Our lean is a tight match with a slight edge to Plzen. The home side have lost both Europa League games at home or away to date but have scored 1.5 goals per game at Doosan Arena and are coming off a win. Levski's away record and low goals against make them a hard side to break down, so this is far from a one-way contest.

On goals, the evidence is mixed: Plzen's games have all gone over 2.5, Levski's none have. We lean towards a moderate total of two or three goals, with both teams having a fair chance of scoring. A fast Plzen goal would favour the hosts, while a Levski goal first would make the home side's task much harder. MATCH PULSE's three AI engines (GPT, Claude and Gemini) publish their independent analysis of the match before kick-off.

How to watch Plzen vs Levski Sofia

No official broadcasters are listed in our data for this match. Check the UEFA Europa League's official broadcast partner in your country and its official app for live coverage on Thursday 22 October 2026.

Kick-off time appears on this page in your own time zone.

We have not listed this competition's broadcasters yet. Check the competition's official broadcast partner in your country and its official app.

Only official rights holders are listed; availability can change. Watching through unofficial streams is unsafe and unfair to the clubs.

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