While the Bulgarian giants are preparing for their first official battles on the continental stage, the camps of their opponents in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are seething with personnel changes, the return of injured leaders and final controls.
Borac Banja Luka (Rival of Levski Sofia in the Champions League)
The Bosnian champion finalized a large-scale restructuring of its squad days before the first clash with Levski. The club officially confirmed today that the contracts of its new signings have come into effect. Among them stand out Croatian winger Ante Rogulic, who should sharpen the attack, as well as Amar Milak and Spanish striker Dani Romera.
At the same time, Borac parted ways with important figures such as David Cavic and experienced defender Zoran Kvrzic, whose contracts expired and were not renewed. The coaching staff is in a hurry to get the new squad working, as the first match against the “blues“ in Banja Luka is scheduled for next week.
Derry City (CSKA's opponent in the Europa League)
In the Northern Irish camp, emotions are mixed, but the focus remains as high as possible. Midfielder Adam O'Reilly told the club media that although there is already a huge excitement in the dressing room about the upcoming visit of “Vasil Levski“ on July 9, the team is fully focused on today's championship match against the bottom eleven of the Eire standings, Waterford.
The big news in the last few hours is the return to the group of the starting goalkeeper Brian Maher. The goalkeeper has recovered from a broken wrist, signed a new long-term contract until 2028 and is expected to be among the starting eleven this evening. Defender Jamie Toth has also resumed training with the team after a personal tragedy and has received the full support of the local community.
Hapoel Tel Aviv (Ludogorets' rival in the Conference League)
The Israeli team continues its intensive preparation for the clash with Ludogorets at the end of the month. The team returned to the Israeli elite and immediately secured a Euro quota, finishing in 4th place. Current news revolves around the completion of the squad and logistics.
Due to the complicated geopolitical situation, Hapoel will not be able to host the Bulgarian champion in Tel Aviv, and it has been officially confirmed that the first match on July 23 will be played on neutral ground in the city of Miskolc, Hungary. The team is heavily relying on left-back Doron Leidner, who recently tied his future to the club with a long-term contract.
Spartak Trnava (CSKA 1948's rival in the Conference League)
The Slovak team has made a serious transfer move on the market. In an official statement, the club announced the signing of 22-year-old Ghanaian central defender Ivan Anokie Mensah, who arrives from Czech giant Sparta Prague and has signed a contract until 2029. Mensah has experience in the Slovak championship and is expected to immediately take a leading position in the defense for the matches against CSKA 1948.
At the same time, the team parted ways with striker Michal Durys and goalkeeper Ziga Fröhlich. Tomorrow, July 4, Spartak will play an important match against the Czech team Slovacko, which will be the last serious test of the team's current state.