CSKA Sofía and Cluj face at Stadion Vasil Levski, in a match for this stage of the UEFA Europa League (Group Stage). These two teams have never met before, so this will be their first head-to-head meeting. In this match, the home factor may be decisive, as CSKA Sofía presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
CSKA Sofia :
The home team comes to this group stage after having eliminated Basel, with an away win by (1‑3). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 5 victories, 7 draws and 3 defeats as a visitor, with 16 goals scored and 13 suffered; against 9 victories and 6 draws in their stadium, with 29 goals scored and 11 suffered. In their last match, for A PFG, they drew with Beroe at home by (1‑1). In their last 10 home matches CSKA Sofía has 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss.
For this competition, he records a sequence of 4 wins in his last matches. Their defense has not been very strong, since they have suffered goals in 3 of the last 4 matches, but their offense has scored regularly, since they have scored at least one goal in each of the last 4 matches for this competition. In 15 matches, they have conceded the first goal 9 times, but have come back in 3. In the last 14 home matches for all competitions there are 2 periods that stand out: they have scored 9 of their 25 goals between minutes (76′ ‑ 90 ‘ ); they have conceded 4 of their 11 goals between minutes (61’ ‑ 75 ‘).
CSKA Sofía comes to this match after a 1×1 draw with Beroe, in a match for the Bulgarian championship. We recall that the home team beat Basel in the qualifying play-offs for the Europa League. Despite playing at home, coach Stamen Belchev must enter the field with a more cautious strategy, exploring only the counterattack: Alo Sowe is a very competent player in the offensive transition. It should be noted that the Bulgarians have shown some weaknesses in their defensive sector. For this game the coach can count on all his players.
CFR Cluj :
The away team comes to this group stage after eliminating KuPS, with a home win by (3‑1). This is a team that presents similar results at home and abroad, so it is not usually affected by the home factor, since in the last 30 games it has registered 9 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss as a visitor; against 9 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in his stadium. The team comes to this match after a home win against Botoşani by (2‑1). In the last 10 away matches for all competitions, Cluj won 7 and drew 3. Their attack has scored regularly, as they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches.
CFR Cluj comes to this day after a 2×1 home win over Botosani, in a match for the Romanian championship: the team’s goals were scored by Gabriel Debeljuh and Paulo Vinícius. It should be noted that the Romanians beat the KuPS in the qualifying play-offs for the Europa League. In this away game, coach Dan Petrescu must play 4-3-3, favoring the maintenance of possession of the ball and positional attacks: Ciprian Deac will be the team director, being responsible for organizing and creating the offensive process . There are no weight absences for this game.