Vitesse may have failed to hold on to their lead in the first leg, but the Eredivisie side remain the favourites to go through following a 1-1 draw in Romania. Meanwhile, Petrolul will have to produce a very good performance if they are to triumph in Arnhem, although they would go through with a high-scoring draw as well.

Vitesse raising their form

Vitesse have seriously raised their profile since establishing an affiliate link with Premier League giants Chelsea, and the mere fact the team mounted a serious title challenge last term speaks volumes about their performances. They eventually ended the league campaign in fourth place, which proved enough for second successive Europa League qualification. The team from Arnhem stayed without three important players this summer, as top scorer Wilfried Bony, key midfielder Marco van Ginkel and talented defender Tomas Kalas moved to English Premier League, but the have added some very good footballers in Kevin Leerdam, Marko Vejinovic and Marcus Pedersen, while Gael Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt extended their loan deals. And while the team experienced some problems in pre-season, they looked really good in their first competitive match against Petrolul, recording a 1-1 draw before defeating Heracles at the start of their Eredivisie campaign. The 3-1 victory should serve as a big confidence boost ahead of the return leg against the Romanian side, with Vitesse expected to continue with promising performances and ensure their place in the Europa League play-offs.

Key attacker Jonathan Reis is set to be recalled after he was rested at the weekend, while Marko Vejinovic returns from domestic suspension. Garl Kakuta remains doubtful with a hamstring problem.

Key men missing

Petrolul Ploiesti may have three league titles to their name, but with the last of those won back in 1966, they cannot really be considered one of top sides in Romania. The team have been showing some promise since returning to the top flight in 2011, with last season their most successful yet. The Yellow Wolves not only achieved a top 3 finish in the league, but also won the Romanian Cup by defeating CFR Cluj in the final, although it looks as though they won’t be able to repeat last season’s heroics this term. Petrolul could find it hard to replace key attackers Jeremy Bokila and Florent Sauvadet, and even if they have signed quite a few new players, the Yellow Wolves might need some time to start living up to the billing. The team haven’t been too impressive this season, having lost 3-0 to Steaua in the Romanian Super Cup match, although they did record a 7-0 aggregate win over Vikingur to set up a clash with Vitesse. However, with key men missing, Petrolul were unable to create an advantage before the return leg, and having narrowly avoided defeat in the first match, I cannot see them matching their opponents in Arnhem.

Key midfielder Laurentiu Marinescu is out injured, while Juan Alcenat and Fode Dore have not been registered for this round.

Verdict

Vitesse seem to have found pretty good replacements for the players that left the club in the summer and they are quickly raising their form and showing a lot of improvement at the moment. Meanwhile, Petrolul continue to struggle and with some very important players unavailable, they look set for yet another disappointment.

Top pick: Home win   2.00 (1/1) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Vitesse/Vitesse   3.20 (11/5) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   1.95 (19/20) @ Ladbrokes

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