Zrinjski Mostar vs Sheriff Tiraspol Preview

2021/22 Champions League surprise package Sheriff Tiraspol will travel to Mostar this Wednesday to face Bosnia and Herzegovina side HSK Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of the 2022/23 UCL group stage qualifying round.

The hosts won the Bosnian Premier League last season with 26 wins, six draws and only one defeat to their name. They were the nation’s unstoppable force en route to the title and finished a whopping 27 points clear of the closest challengers Tuzla City.

Their title win ended a four-year drought without winning the top-flight crown and represented their second success overall. They will now hope they can replicate their domestic success in Europe.

The Noblemen have never progressed further than the second Qualifying round of the Champions League and lost on penalties to APOEL in the third round of Europa League Qualifying two years ago. But given that they are unbeaten in their last 24 games, they will fancy their chances of winning this first leg against a side that enjoyed a remarkable run in the competition last year.

The visitors became the first-ever Moldovan club to reach the group stages of the Champions League last term, defeating the likes of Alashkert, Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb on their way to the group stage.

They also enjoyed a remarkable opening round in the group stage winning their first two games, including beating eventual winners Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu before earning a highly respectable third-place finish to secure themselves a spot in the Europa League knockout rounds.

The 20-time Moldovan champions will look to go on another adventure this year under the fresh tutelage of Stjepan Tomas. They come into this tie unbeaten in their last eleven games in all competitions, and so will fancy their chances of getting a first-leg advantage in this fixture.