Universitatea Craiova prepares for Champions League amid young defender Denis Benga’s exit

Twenty‑year‑old defender Denis Benga terminated his contract with Universitatea Craiova, citing limited playing time despite having three years left on his deal. The left‑back, a product of the club’s academy, had been loaned to Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț and Gloria Bistrița before suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury.

Meanwhile, coach Filipe Coelho praised the team’s Austrian preseason camp, highlighting friendly victories over Polissya Zhytomyr (4‑3) and FC Stubai (7‑1). He confirmed the squad’s readiness for the upcoming Champions League qualifiers against Vitebsk (first leg 8 July, return 15 July) and the Romanian Super Cup versus U Cluj on 12 July. The club has already spent a record €5.4 million on new signings, including goalkeepers Răzvan Sava and Alexandru Maxim, defender Ronaldo Webster and attackers Simon Elisor and Heriberto Tavares.