Slavia Prague vs CFR Cluj Prediction & Tips
Unbeaten in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) this season, Slavia Prague so far look on course to secure a place in the knockout round. Another win would strengthen that momentum and, having won all four UECL matches in Prague this season, it is not unlikely that Slavia can reach their fifth win in this clash against Cluj, as they come on the back of a 3-0 Czech Premier League win over Liberec the previous weekend.
After three consecutive Czech league titles, Slavia were displaced by Viktoria Plzeň last season and again find themselves behind Plzeň in the early stages of this campaign. The return to European competition may be a welcome break for the team coached by Jindřich Trpišovský, who have lost just two of their last 19 European home games (G12, E5) and have never been beaten by Romanian opposition (G4, E4).
If Cluj can transfer their performance from their last four games in League I (G4) to the European stage, then finishing the group stage in the top two again as they did in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League may not be a far-fetched possibility. As things stand, Cluj remain winless in the UECL (E1, P1 – excluding qualifying round), although they can perhaps rejoice that their only point came away from home against Ballkani (1-1).
It is perhaps no surprise to see Cluj pick up a point away from home considering that all five of their European away games this season have ended in draws. However, that five-game streak is part of a wider run of ten European games on opposition soil without a win for Cluj (E5, P5), raising questions about whether they will even score their first goal against Slavia Prague after losing the previous two meetings between the sides 1-0.
Players to watch: Peter Olayinka is Slavia Prague’s all-time leading European scorer with 13 goals, the last six of which were registered before half-time. Cluj defender Yuri Matias will have the task of keeping him at bay, but he tends to pop up with a few goals of his own, with his last nine serving as his team’s first.
Weekend stat: After two games, Slavia Prague have taken the most corner kicks in the UECL group stage this season (21).
Slavia Prague – CFR Cluj FREE TIPS
Slavia Prague- Win @ 1.55
