KuPS vs Vardar Skopje — UEFA Champions League: stats, lineups & analysis
Match preview
KuPS host Vardar Skopje in Champions League qualifying return
KuPS welcome Vardar Skopje to Vare Areena on 14 July for a UEFA Champions League 1st Qualifying Round fixture, with Miika Nuutinen's side aiming to overturn a slow spell in front of their own supporters. The two clubs already met on 7 July, when Vardar won 2-0 on the road, giving Cristian Fabbiani's team a cushion heading into the second leg.
AI-assisted match preview written from official match data.
KuPS arrive off the back of a WLLDD run that includes the reverse loss to Vardar as well as two defeats to Lech Poznan, either side of draws with Crystal Palace and Lausanne. Vardar's own form reads LLWDW, with heavy results at both ends against Lausanne sandwiched between results against La Fiorita and a home defeat to KuPS.
The head-to-head log shows just the one meeting between the sides, the 2-0 win for Vardar away from home on 7 July, a scoreline KuPS will need to address across the second leg at Vare Areena. M. MacDermid takes charge of the return fixture.
KuPS have won only once in their last five (WLLDD) while Vardar's LLWDW sequence includes a win over KuPS in the corresponding first-leg fixture.
Having already lost the first leg 2-0 away to Vardar, KuPS' task at Vare Areena is shaped directly by that result.
KuPS meet Vardar Skopje in the UEFA Champions League (1st Qualifying Round). Kick-off is Tuesday, 14 July 2026, 15:00 UTC at Vare Areena. Referee: Matthew MacDermid.
Team pages: KuPS · Vardar Skopje · UEFA Champions League
Pre-match read
Home rated 1389 vs 1273 — 0.74 expected score
Model-generated pre-match read. Not betting advice.
About this match
- Live score updates and a goal-by-goal timeline once play begins.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Confirmed starting lineups, usually about an hour before kick-off.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Explore more on the KuPS and Vardar Skopje team pages or the UEFA Champions League page.