Will Lugano keep their EL hopes alive in Romania?
AS Roma, Aston Villa, Bologna, FC Porto, and VfB Stuttgart have already secured their places in the group stage of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League. However, the 36-team field, which includes some prominent and high-caliber teams, is yet to be finalized in the coming weeks. On Thursday, the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Europa League will take place. Among other things, Wettbasis is looking at the CFR Cluj vs. Lugano tip.
The starting position is still completely open ahead of the upcoming second 90 minutes. A week ago, the teams played out a goalless draw, which was absolutely fine considering the course of the game and only three shots on goal in total from both sides. For the return leg in Transylvania, the forecast for CFR Cluj and Lugano is also leaning quite clearly towards another low-scoring encounter, in which the first goal could be decisive.
CFR Cluj – Statistics & current form
CFR Cluj is one of Romania’s most successful clubs. The Transylvanian club has won eight championships and five cup titles. Although its last national title dates back to the 2021/22 season, it did manage to win the cup again last season. This means that the wine red and whites will be able to try their luck in the Europa League qualifiers for the first time in four years. If the prediction for the match between CFR Cluj and Lugano on Thursday evening proves correct, Sporting Braga or Lewski Sofia will be waiting in the third round.
Cluj not yet performing at its best
Admittedly, however, betting on the team from Cluj-Napoca is risky. The start of the season in Romania did not go according to plan for coach Dan Petrescu’s team. The reigning runners-up have only picked up four points from their first three league matches and even suffered a surprise 0-2 home defeat against Arges Pitesti last weekend.
Including the Super Cup, the Transylvanian side have won only two of their seven matches in all competitions since the winter break. They have scored just seven goals in total. In almost half of all matches, the wine red and whites failed to score a single goal. Although the Railwaymen are generally stronger at home than away, I don’t think the CFR Cluj vs. Lugano betting odds offer any value for a home win after 90 minutes!
After a major shake-up in the summer, which saw 26 players leave the club and 17 new signings, it seems that the eight-time national champions are still finding their feet. I therefore do not share the optimism of the bookmakers and am more inclined to bet on the supposed underdogs, who, according to the Bwin test report, are offered at good odds, especially by the Austrian bookmaker.
Predicted line-up:
Hindrich – Camora, Ilie, Sinyan, Bosec – Fica, Djokovic, Muhar – Korenica, Munteanu, Nkololo
Lugano – Statistics & current form
FC Lugano has had a rather disappointing 2024/25 season at the national level. In the cup, they squandered their chance for a deep run with an embarrassing defeat in the quarterfinals against third-division Biel-Bienne, while in the Super League, they finished only fifth after the championship round. At least reaching the round of 16 in the Europa Conference League can be considered a minor success, although they certainly could have achieved more in the last 16 against Celje.
Is Lugano once again lacking punch in attack?
However, because the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland values a calm environment and continuity, Mattia Croci-Torti, who has been at the helm of the Black and Whites since 2021, was allowed to continue. Early in this season, however, the 43-year-old is once again facing serious setbacks. Potential elimination in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers would be another painful failure for the high expectations in Ticino, for example.
The 0-0 draw a week ago meant that the Swiss missed out on a better starting position. As in much of last season, the offense remained far too toothless. Of the top six teams in last season’s SL, no other team scored fewer goals than the 2022 cup winners. Combined with the impressions from the first leg, the odds for under goals can also be considered in the second match between CFR Cluj and Lugano. In the first 45 minutes in particular, both teams are likely to focus on minimizing mistakes and not taking any big risks. In the Betano app, you can get impressive odds of 2.70 for a 0-0 score at halftime.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the dress rehearsal for this important qualifying return leg went completely wrong from FCL’s point of view. At the start of the new Super League season, the Black and Whites lost 1-2 at home to FC Thun, despite leading 1-0 at half-time. Coach Croci-Torti is now expecting a reaction from his players and is relying primarily on their individual quality. An interesting side note: with a total market value of $71 million, the Ticino squad is more than twice as valuable as the Romanian team ($27 million), which is nevertheless the slight favorite.
Predicted line-up:
Saipi – El Wafi, Mai, Papadopoulos, Zanotti – Grgic – Alioski, Dos Santos, Bislimi, Steffen – Koutsias
CFR Cluj – Lugano Head-to-head record
One week after their first and only direct encounter to date, the return leg is on the agenda. At home in Thun’s alternative stadium, Lugano could not manage more than a tired 0-0 draw. Although the Swiss had more possession and were clearly the better side, the Romanians were able to repeatedly threaten on the counterattack. However, with only three shots on goal, they never really looked dangerous. The goalless draw was therefore the logical outcome of a lackluster and far from top-class encounter.
CFR Cluj – Lugano Tip
In many qualifying matches in European competitions, the first leg has already decided the outcome. However, there is plenty of excitement in store in the clash between Romanian cup winners CFR Cluj and fifth-placed Swiss side FC Lugano. The first leg last week ended 0-0, so everything is still to play for in the upcoming second leg. However, the bookmakers have the Transylvanian side as slight favorites, which at first glance can be attributed almost exclusively to their home advantage.
In terms of quality, the Ticino side have nothing to fear. In addition, the red and whites have won only two of their seven competitive games in the new season. It seems as if the bookmakers are placing too much emphasis on the home team’s playing experience. This assumption leads me to bet on Coach Croci-Torti’s black and whites to advance between CFR Cluj and Lugano. Oddset is offering odds of 2.10 for this. My stake is four out of a maximum of ten fictitious units.
