Preview:CFR Cluj vs Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

CFR Cluj welcome Braga to Transylvania in Romania on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League Third Qualifying Round tie.

Both clubs needed extra time to progress through the second round last week, and will now compete for a playoff spot where either Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar or Noah from Armenia await.

Match preview

Finishing a distant second behind champions FCSB in Romania last season means Cluj have already had an eventful start to their season, despite it still only being the first week of August.

Dan Petrescu’s men had to start in the first round of qualifying for the Europa League, and while that has seen their domestic form suffer in the early stages, they are on the brink of league phase football.

After losing the Super Cup to FCSB, Cluj swiftly responded by beating Paks from over the border in Hungary 3-0 on aggregate, before coming out on top in a very tight affair with Lugano in the previous round.

The Swiss club reached the last 16 of the Conference League last season, but Cluj won 1-0 on aggregate in their tie last week, with Petrescu’s side surviving two disallowed goals thanks to VAR, before Sheriff Sinyan scored the winner on 96 minutes.

Cluj have reached the Conference League on two occasions, but it is now five years since they reached the Europa League proper, and they will need to cause a giant killing to do so this time.

It is clear their focus is solely on Europe at present, as their league form has been woeful in the early stages, with the club from Transylvania sitting fourth-from-bottom, with just four points from four games.

Two home league matches against Arges and Universitatea Craiova, either side of the second leg with Lugano, ended in defeat, and Cluj are in trouble of falling a long way off the pace early on.

Much of the Cluj faithful will remember the last and only time they faced Braga though, during a memorable Champions League group stage campaign in 2012-13, when they beat the Portuguese club home and away, and also won at Old Trafford to finish third in a very tough section which also included Galatasaray.

Champions League qualification is rare for Braga, being the traditional fourth club in Portugal, but they have a great chance to reach the Europa League again this season, especially given the favourable opponents that await if they make it through here.

The last time Braga faced a Romanian club in qualifying, they were stunned by now-dissolved club Pandurii Targu Jiu in 2013, but since then, they have only failed in qualifying once in 10 seasons.

Braga competed in the league phase of this competition a year ago, but missed out on the knockout stage in devastating circumstances, finishing 25th, falling one place short.

It is 15 years since the club were finalists, losing to Porto in Dublin, but they have only managed quarter-final appearances at best since then, while not getting particularly close to the title at home.

That is set to be the story again, so manager Carlos Vicens will be keen to take the club on a memorable cup run either domestically or on the continent.

Braga’s domestic season does not start until the upcoming weekend at home to Tondela, so their two legs against Levski Sofia in the previous round remain their only two matches so far, and Vicens’s men certainly flattered to deceive.

Despite being huge favourites, Braga also needed an extra-time goal to settle the tie, going through 1-0 on aggregate against the Bulgarians, raising a few doubts that were not around when they won all five friendlies to prepare for the season.

CFR Cluj Europa League form:

D W D W

CFR Cluj form (all competitions):

W D D L W L

Braga Europa League form:

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Team News

Cluj are set to be without Adrian Paun here after he was forced off with injury early on against Craiova at the weekend, joining Simao Rocha, Kenneth Omeruo, Karlo Muhar, Mohammed Kamara and Lindon Emerllahu on a lengthening injury list.

Petrescu has meddled with the team domestically to keep his best players fit for Europe, and that was the case again at the weekend, so the likes of Moldovan international Virgiliu Postolachi could be one to come in up front.

Matei Ilie is one player expected to keep his place though, as he scored twice from centre-back in his first league start of the season in that 3-2 defeat.

Braga are at full strength and have not had to deal with any domestic distractions as of yet, so they could well be in better shape than their hosts for this one.

It has been a busy summer, with the match winner from the Levski tie, Fran Navarro, being one of a number of recruits brought into the club after making his loan from Porto permanent.

Pau Victor and Mario Dorgeles have both arrived for substantial fees, while Gabriel Moscardo is also in on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and the trio could all feature in some capacity.

CFR Cluj possible starting lineup:

Hindrich; Bosec, Sinyan, Ilie, Camora; Fica, Djokovic, Korenica; Nkololo, Munteanu, Postolachi

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Vitor Carvalho, Paulo Oliveira, Niakate, Lagerbielke; Dorgeles, Joao Moutinho, Gorby; Ricardo Horta, Fran Navarro, Zalazar

We say: CFR Cluj 1-1 Braga

Braga will be the clear favourites for this tie, but they limped over the line against Levski Sofia last week, so early-season rustiness still needs to come off.

Cluj are well in the swing of things, having already played nine competitive matches, and even though their league form has suffered, they have kept their best performances for Europe, and that could see them be competitive here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.