CFR Cluj and FC Pyunik will meet again for the second leg of their Champions League first-round qualifying battle after failing to score in their first encounter with kickoff at 9:30 pm.
In the first leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifying match last week, Cluj failed to register a win against Pyunik of Armenia.
The Romanian champions have appeared in the group stage of one continental tournament or another during their history. Still, they will attempt to avoid elimination from this year’s first qualifying round for the first time. If they fail to do so, they will become the first Romanian club to be knocked out in the first round of European competition since 2009.
Cluj was in Romanian Super Cup action at the weekend, but they lost 2-1 to Sepsi OSK Sf. Gheorghe has done nothing to boost the confidence in Petrescu’s ranks.
While Armenian champions Pyunik have been granted the luxury of a full week’s worth of rest before the trip to Romania to face FC Botoșani, Eghishe Melikyan’s defensive formula certainly paid dividends in the first leg, as Pyunik stretched their unbeaten run in all tournaments to 18 matches.
By making it to the second hurdle, Pyunik would match their best-ever finish in Europe and would also progress beyond the second round of Champions League qualifying for the first time in club history.
CRF Cluj vs Pyunik Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other that ended in a draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- CFR Cluj 1-2 Sepsi
- Pyunik 0-0 Cluj
- Cluj 2-1 Unirea Dej
- Cluj 2-1 Hajuk
Away
- Pyunik 0-0 Cluj
- FC Alashkert 1-1 Pyunik
- Pyunik 1-0 FC Aarat
- Pyunik 2-0 FC Van
CRF Cluj Team News
After Roger was sent off for violent conduct in the club’s Super Cup defeat to Steaua Bucharest, Alexandru Paun was only named on the bench for the first-leg draw. However, he can expect to feature in the first XI here after opening the scoring within the first two minutes at the weekend.
Pyunik Team News
Pyunik will be weakened by the absence of centre-back Nikita Baranov, but they should otherwise be at full strength. Melikyan has displayed a preference for five-man defences this season and is likely to adopt such a formation here, although David Davidyan’s place on the right flank is in jeopardy after he was taken off at half time last week.
Prediction and Odds
After being rotated in the recent Super Cup defeat, Cluj will have a number of their senior players well-rested, and the Romanian champions will expect to get the job done with the home crowd behind them.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- No Score: Away
