CFR Cluj vs FC Ballkani prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-11-02 17:45.
Romanian champions CFR Cluj will be eyeing up a victory in this final UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) Group G fixture to secure a place in the knockout rounds, although they could still qualify if their result matches or betters Slavia's at home to Sivasspor. That could prove key given they couldn’t get the better of Ballkani in the reverse meeting between the two sides on Matchday one and needed a 90th minute goal to snatch a 1-1 draw.
Up until last week, Dan Petrescu’s men were in great form having strung together an unbeaten run stretching across eight competitive matches (W6, D2). However, a 3-0 away defeat to group rivals Sivasspor was followed up by a costly 2-1 loss against Rapid București, leaving the hosts third in Liga I. Returning home could be key to a return to form for Cluj given they have won five of their last six UECL home matches (L1), with all those wins accompanied by a clean sheet.
Ballkani are playing only for pride as just one win in this group stage (D1, L3) means that their mammoth 14 game European campaign is assured to end at the final whistle in Romania. Despite their early exit, rarely have they been pushovers in their away games in this competition, scoring 2+ goals in four of their five UECL away games en route to securing three victories.
The latest came at the home of group leaders Sivasspor via a dramatic 90th minute winner (4-3), and that goal contributed to a streak that has seen Ballkani’s last ten competitive matches all produce at least one goal beyond the 70th minute (W6, D2, L2), meaning late drama cannot be ruled out.
Players to watch: With just two UECL goals this season, Ciprian Deac’s influence for Cluj might be getting overlooked, but he does boast the joint-most key passes (13) in the competition ahead of the round. He should avoid Ballkani’s Emmanuel Yeboah who has committed the joint-third most fouls (12) and picked up the joint-second most yellow cards (three) in the competition after five group stage rounds.
Hot stat: Across eight matches, Cluj have yet to concede a second-half home UECL goal.