Hapoel Beer Sheva vs Vikingur Reykjavik – 29 Jul 2026

Hapoel Beer Sheva vs Víkingur Reykjavík — UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round (2nd Leg)
29 July 2026, 18:30 CET | Haladás Stadium, Szombathely, Hungary

Hapoel Beer Sheva face a must-win second leg against Icelandic champions Víkingur Reykjavík, trailing 2-1 on aggregate after last week's first leg. Note the venue: for security reasons, Hapoel's nominal home fixture is being staged in Hungary rather than Israel, adding a further layer of unpredictability to a tie that's already finely poised.

First-leg recap:
This was the sides' first-ever competitive meeting, and Víkingur took control thanks to a second-half brace from Nikolaj Hansen, with Kings Kangwa's well-taken finish keeping Hapoel in contention. Beer Sheva managed just five shots (two on target) and won only one corner — a modest attacking return that will need to improve significantly if they're to overturn the deficit.

Form heading in:
Hapoel arrive on a three-game losing run and haven't won in four across all competitions, including a 3-1 Super Cup defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv and last week's first-leg loss. Kings Kangwa is their main attacking outlet, having scored three of the team's last five goals almost single-handedly — the rest of the squad has struggled to generate consistent chances (just 28 shots across their last five matches). Needing a win pushes Hapoel into a high-risk approach, likely inviting space in behind for Víkingur to exploit on the break, and expect a stack of yellow cards as the hosts chase the game.

Víkingur, by contrast, arrive full of confidence. They followed the first-leg win with a 5-1 league thrashing of Keflavík, sit eight points clear at the top of the Besta deild karla, and have scored 13 goals across their last five matches compared to Hapoel's three. Nikolaj Hansen has been the standout with five goals in four appearances, while veteran Gylfi Sigurdsson continues to add composure in midfield. Their away form in Europe is solid too — an xG of 1.27 in the first leg suggests they're not solely reliant on home comforts.

Prediction & odds:
Despite their poor recent form, Hapoel are priced as favourites on the day at around 1.6–1.75, with the draw near 4.0–4.2 and a Víkingur win out at roughly 4.7–5.0 — reflecting their aggregate cushion rather than pure form. Given the attacking numbers on both sides, both teams to score and over 2.5 goals look the strongest angles here; Hapoel's need to attack combined with Víkingur's counter-punching quality points toward an open, high-scoring second leg.