Cluj vs Maribor

Cluj host Maribor for this UEFA Europa League qualification final round second leg clash at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu in Cluj-Napoca. The hosts are a Romanian team and the visitors come from Slovenia.The first leg ended 0-0 in Slovenia so both teams have a genuine chance to qualify for the group phase. Whilst Conference League is only the third-highest club competition in Europe I am sure both teams are motivated as millions of euros of prize money from UEFA - as well as bonus money for the players is at stake here. Playing in group stage is also a great opportunity for players to prove their skills and perhaps move on to a bigger club. I would be quite surprised to see Maribor qualify here. Cluj were, deservedly, the better team also in the first leg and were also favorites on the betting market. They played pretty cautious football though avoiding taking big risks probably counting on getting the job done at home. Indeed, the home advantage is massive here as Cluj’s fans are enthusiastic. Maribor, in fact, recorded more shots on target in the first leg (3-1). Cluj, on the other hand, recorded more scoring attempts, attacks and dangerous attacks. Their players’ individual skill-level looked better and they were also more organized as a team on the pitch.

Let’s also remember that the Romanian Liga 1 is on average of better quality than the Slovenian Prva Liga. Maribor are in very bad for at the moment and are in the second-last place in their domestic league with just one win in the pocket. Their goal difference is also bad 8:14. They have not won any of their latest eight matches and have lost six of these games and it is hard to write anything positive about this team in decline.. They were very weak especially against a team from my home country, HJK, in Europa League qualification and lost 0-3 on aggregate! Even at home they were pathetic offensively after the pretty good approximately 30 minutes. In Helsinki in the second leg HJK were quite passive having won the fist leg 2-0 but if needed, I am quite sure they would have been able to score more goals. Cluj are the better team in all areas of the game and have a 67% chance to win here. They were pretty good in the previous round against a Belarussian team but in my view have potential to still improve quite a lot!