Will Lugano secure a good starting position?

The action continues on the international soccer stage this week. The first legs of the quarterfinals are on the schedule in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. We take a look at the match between FC Lugano and CFR Cluj from Romania, and the predictions for the first meeting between these two teams give the hosts a slight advantage.

The Swiss Super League is in the starting blocks and the first matchday will take place this coming weekend. FC Lugano will conclude the weekend on Sunday afternoon with a match against FC Thun. On their way to the Europa League group stage, the Black and Whites must pass their first test on Thursday and defeat the Romanian representatives. In the clash between Lugano and CFR Cluj, betting on the home side is rewarded with odds of 2.25 at the top.

Lugano – Statistics & current form

FC Lugano are three-time Swiss champions and four-time cup winners. Their last domestic title came in 2022, when they defeated FC St. Gallen 4-1 in the cup final. Finishing fourth last season, the Black and Whites qualified for the Europa League group stage.

After the regular triple round – each team plays each opponent three times – head coach Mattia Croci-Torti’s side, now in his fifth season with the Bianconeri, were in fifth place, twelve points behind leaders and eventual champions Basel. At the end of the championship round, the gap was almost twenty points, but at least the international starting place was secured.

Lugano with the most harmless offense in the championship round

Of the six teams that qualified for the championship round, the hosts had the weakest offense. They ended up with 55 goals to their credit. League leaders Basel, on the other hand, scored 91 times. The team’s top scorer was midfielder and penalty taker Anto Grgic, who scored nine goals last season.

The defense, on the other hand, was beaten 58 times. Only FC Luzern had to fish the ball out of their own net more often. At the end of the championship round, things weren’t going well for the home team. They didn’t win any of their last four competitive games. The Black and Whites also failed to deliver convincing results in their preparations. They tested themselves against lower-ranked teams, narrowly defeating them twice. They even suffered a 2-4 defeat against the promoted team from Thun.

Lugano is not a home powerhouse

It looks like there is still a lot of work ahead for coach Croci-Torti and his men. Of the six teams that competed in the championship, the Bianconeri had the weakest home record at the end. Only nine of the nineteen games in front of their own fans were won. In last year’s Conference League, the Swiss reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated by NK Celje. In the first leg between Lugano and CFR Cluj, odds of 2.25 are being paid for bets on the hosts.

Lugano’s expected line-up:
Saipi – Mai, Marques, Papadopoulos – Doumbia, Grgic, Dos Santos, Bislimi – Steffen, Duville-Parsemain

CFR Cluj – statistics & current form

CFR Cluj are the reigning Romanian cup winners. They missed out on a ninth league title, as the competition from Bucharest ultimately proved too strong and the Wine Reds had to settle for second place. Unlike their upcoming opponents, the visitors have already played several competitive matches and should therefore be a step ahead.

The season kicked off with the Romanian Super Cup, where head coach Dan Petrescu’s team lost 2-1 to reigning champions FCSB Bucharest. The decisive goal was conceded in stoppage time.

Decent start to the season for Cluj

The Ceferistii have made a decent start to the championship. A 2-1 home win against Unirea Slobozia was followed by a 1-1 draw against Rapid Bucharest. The visitors are currently in fifth place in the Superliga with four points. Petrescu’s team is level on points with league leaders Universitatea Cluj.

The Wine Reds have also already survived one round in the Europa League qualifiers. After a 0-0 draw with Hungarian representatives Paksi, they secured their place in the next round with a clear 3-0 win in front of their own fans.

Cluj with room for improvement away from home

This means that only one of the last twelve competitive games across both seasons has been lost. However, the Wine Reds’ away record is not particularly impressive. Only one of the last ten away games has been won. In the last away game of last season, they lost 4-1 to Rapid Bucharest.

The Romanians’ strength in the past has been in attack. Last season, no other team in the Superliga scored more goals than the visitors. However, the defense also conceded a few more goals than the competition. For the upcoming match between Lugano and CFR Cluj, bookmakers are offering odds of 3.40 for bets on Petrescu’s team with a cash-out function. However, the betting providers see the Romanians as favorites to advance to the next round.

Predicted lineup for CFR Cluj:
Hindrich – Abeid, Sinyan, Bolgado, Camora – Paun, Djokovic, Muhar – Deac, Postolacht, Sfait

Lugano – CFR Cluj Head-to-head record

We can look forward to the first meeting between these two teams. So far, the opponents have successfully avoided each other on the international stage. Who will come out on top in this first duel? Between Lugano and CFR Cluj, the bookmakers’ predictions see the hosts with the better cards.

Lugano – CFR Cluj Tip

It’s quarter-final time in the European competitions. The first leg of the Europa League qualifier is the first real test for the Swiss team before the start of the season this coming weekend. According to the bookmakers, it would be a minor surprise if the Black and Whites were to progress. The match will be played at the Stockhorn Arena in Thun.

The visitors are already a step ahead. They have played two matches in their domestic league and have already played their first qualifying round. However, the wine-reds confidently defeated Hungarian representatives Paksi thanks to a strong home performance. Now they need to put themselves in a good position for the second leg.

Are the hosts rightly considered favorites? We have our doubts. The Romanians are in competition mode, while the Swiss are playing their first competitive game of the new season on Thursday. The results in the preparation phase were not particularly convincing. Therefore, our recommendation for the match between Lugano and CFR Cluj is a double chance bet on X2 at odds of 1.62 with the tested bookmaker Merkur Bets.

We expect Ceferistii to start with a defensive approach in order to keep a clean sheet for as long as possible. It is up to the home side to push forward in order to give themselves a small cushion for the second leg. We do not expect many goals, so betting on less than 2.5 goals at odds of 1.80 is a good alternative in the match between Lugano and CFR Cluj.