ECL: Anderlecht to Romania or Albania

OTHER The draw for the third preliminary round of the Conference League has been drawn. Anderlecht will compete against the winner of the game between Universitatea Craiova from Romania and Laci from Albania


Anderlecht will first play away on Thursday 5 August. The return match follows a week later in the Lotto Park.

Universitatea Craiova is the big favorite for the game in the second preliminary round. The club finished third in the Romanian top division last season and won the cup final. The team's star player is 24-year-old midfielder Alexandru Cicaldau. He has scored 25 goals in the past two seasons and has played 14 times for the national team. Last weekend Craiova won 1-0 against Arges on the first day of the new competition. A week earlier, it won the Romanian Supercup on penalties against Cluj (0-0, 2-4).

The Albanian KF Laci has been a fixture in the preliminary rounds of the Europa League in recent years, but it invariably fell out in the first or second preliminary round. Last season Hapoel Beer Sheva from Israel was too strong. Laci finished fourth in the league last season. In the first preliminary round of the Conference League, it eliminated Podgorica from Montenegro last week (1-0 and 0-3, after extra time). The 32-year-old left winger Mentor Mazrekaj (7 goals), attacking midfielder Regi Lushkja and striker Van-Dave Harmon (5 goals each) were the top scorers last season.