Founded in Sofia on May 24, 1914, the club has been one of the most popular and successful teams in Bulgaria. Its name comes from Vasil Levski, a national hero who led the struggle to liberate the country from the Ottomans. The club’s colors are blue and white and they play at the 29,200-capacity Georgi Asparukhoff Stadium.

They have won the Bulgarian championship 26 times, the Bulgarian Cup 27 times and the Super Cup three times, while they have never been relegated from the country’s top flight. At the same time, in the 2006-07 season, they became the first team in the country to compete in the UEFA Champions League group stage. After eliminating Sioni Bolnisi from Georgia and Chievo Verona, they faced Barcelona, ​​Werder Bremen and Chelsea in the group stage, where they suffered six defeats.

The club have had significant European runs in the past as they have competed in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals twice, and the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals three times.

In recent years, the team have experienced several problems, mainly of a financial nature, and has remained in the shadow of Ludogorets, which have been dominating the domestic competitions. However, with some steady steps forward, the club are aiming to return to the top and, of course, stand out in the European competitions.

Back to the future

Last September, Levski went out into the market to find a new coach. The choice was to… go back in time. The club’s management appointed one of the top technicians in their history, Stanimir Stoilov.

The Bulgarian coach was in the dugout from June 2004 to May 2008 and associated his name with a historic period, the highlight of Levski’s modern era, winning two championships, two Bulgarian Cups, two Super Cups, and playing in the group stages of the Champions League.

Stoilov then went on to spend one season with Litech Lovets, with whom he won another Bulgarian Cup, followed by a stint with the Bulgarian national team, Anorthosis, Botev Plovdiv, and Astana, with whom he won four championships, and then the Kazakhstan national team, before returning to Levski.

Last season and the early signs of this year 

Last season was a roller coaster. The start was not ideal. In the league Levski had a slow start and were in the lower echelons of the standings, but after the arrival of Stoilov the picture improved significantly. The finale of the post season found the club in fourth place, failing to secure a ticket for the European competitions.

However, the course in the cup was the opposite. Levski went all the way, beating Ilia Stefanon’s CSKA Sofia 1-0 in the final and also earning a place in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.

Levski has already played the first two official games of the season. In the premiere of the championship, it suffered a 1-0 defeat by CSKA 1948, while in the 2nd game they beat Spartak Varna 5-0. After the home game against PAOK, they will face Slavia Sofia away, with the administration requesting a postponement, so that the team will be fresh before the return leg at the Toumba.

The squad and summer arrivals

Levski today are a relatively young squad, consisting mainly of native footballers, as they have only nine foreigners. The average age of the roster is around 24 years old. Although their most expensive player is Gotgi Milanov, the player who caught the eye last season was 24-year-old French-Moroccan striker Bilal Bari, who found the net 10 times and provided 2 assists in 36 games. The 18-year-old winger Marin Petkov also produced some excellent appearances, as he played as a starter in 35 matches, scoring 6 goals and contributing 2 assists.

In the summer transfer window, Levski have been strengthened with seven new faces so far. Central defender Jose Cordova came to Bulgaria from Panama and Independiente, right-back Ante Blazevic from Zeleznicar Sarajevo and Curaçao-born midfielder Nathan Holder from Dutch side Groningen. Another addition to the right side of the defense is the Frenchman Jeremy Petris, who was acquired as a free agent from Tsarskoe Selo (Bulgaria’s national B Team).

Finally, other new additions to the team are the 34-year-old midfielder Evelyn Popov, from Sochi, Russia, and the Brazilian forward Ronaldo Dos Santos, from Bahia.

Facing PAOK with some absentees

Stoilov is without several important absentees against PAOK, with four key men not available in left-back Tsunami, midfielders Popov and Stefanov, and the central midfielder Kraev.

Levski announced a squad of just 16 players for the match in Sofia against the Double-headed Eagle, including the following players:

Mihaylov, Andreev, Galchev, Petris, Sudberg, Cordoba, Van der Kap, Stojanov, Alder, Milanov, Mitkov, Krastef, Petkov, Welton, Ronaldo, Bari.