Can FC Pyunik upset the Romanian champions?

After all, it’s not a compulsory task for CFR Cluj. Last week, the reigning Romanian champions had a tough time against FC Pyunik and failed to overcome the defensive bulwark of the Armenian record champions. With the 0-0 draw, CFR Cluj nevertheless kept their chances of progressing to the next qualifying round alive.

The Romanians will benefit from home advantage in the second leg. CFR Cluj have not lost a home game in a CL qualifier since August 2019. It is quite possible that this series will be extended against the Armenian guests. The best bookmakers see the hosts from Cluj as comparatively clear favourites anyway.

On CFR Cluj vs. Yerevan, odds of only 1.22 are offered for tip 1. In case of success for FC Pyunik, on the other hand, odds of more than 10.00 are offered. The Romanian team has a good record against Armenian clubs: CFR Cluj has never lost an official match against a team from Armenia so far.

After three matches against Armenian clubs, CFR Cluj not only have a strong record of 2-1-0, but have not conceded a single goal in that period. On the other hand, CFR Cluj have scored a total of seven goals.

CFR Cluj – Statistics & current form

CFR Cluj won their fifth consecutive Romanian League I title last season, once again going head-to-head with record champions FCSB. Thanks to the latest championship title, CFR also punched their ticket for this year’s Champions League qualifiers, again starting in the first round.

In the last three years, CFR Cluj have always made it through the first qualifying round of the Champions League without any problems. This was also the case last season, when CFR Cluj eliminated Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka from the competition with an aggregate score of 4-3 after first and second legs.

After Lincoln were also defeated in the second round, a top-class match against Young Boys from Bern followed in the third round. After a first and second leg, CFR Cluj had to bow out of the CL qualifiers with an overall result of 2:4 and subsequently even slipped down to the Conference League.

Promising record against Armenian clubs

The chance to make amends now exists this season. After the 0-0 first leg draw against FC Pyunik, CFR Cluj still have the best chance of reaching the second qualifying round in the top flight. To do so, however, CFR coach Petrescu’s team will have to work on its offensive play.

Recently, the Romanian champions lacked gunpowder in their offensive. The attacking department left a weak impression not only in the match against FC Pyunik, but also in the Super Cup against Sepsi OSK. There, Cluj conceded a harsh 1:2 defeat and thus missed their first title this season.

Petrescu made a number of changes to the starting line-up compared to the one he had used in the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League. Numerous key players were spared for the second leg in the CL qualifiers. The double burden of the Super Cup should therefore not be overestimated with regard to the match against FC Pyunik.

Predicted line-up of CFR Cluj:
Balgradean; Manea, Kolinger, Burca, Camora; Boateng, Cvek; Deac, Paun, Yeboah; Debeljuh

Last matches played by CFR Cluj:

Super Cup
10/07/2022 – CFR Cluj 1 – 2 Sepsi OSK

Champions League Qualifier
05/07/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 0 – 0 CFR Cluj

Liga I Championship Group
23/05/2022 – FC FCSB 3 – 1 CFR Cluj

16/05/2022 – CFR Cluj 2 – 1 Universitatea Craiova

08/05/2022 – FC Arges Pitesti 0 – 6 CFR Cluj

Yerevan – Statistics & current form

For years, FC Pyunik lagged behind the high expectations in the Armenian top flight, missing out on one championship after another. It was not until last season that the almost seven-year drought in the Armenian Premier League was ended.

Pyunik won the 15th championship in the club’s history and thus punched their ticket to qualify for the top flight for the first time since 2015. However, Pyunik Yerevan were handed a tough draw by CFR Cluj in the first qualifying round and will have to fear for a place in the competition after a goalless draw in the first leg.

Away from home, the Armenian record champions are in need of a little surprise after last week’s result. To do so, they will have to improve their poor away record on the international stage. FC Pyunik have only won twice in their last nine away matches on the international stage this season.

Will FC Pyunik bow out of CL qualification again?

In qualifying for the top flight, FC Pyunik Yerevan have a record of 8-8-19 after 35 matches, conceding a total of 57 goals – an average of 1.63 goals per match. The Armenian defensive bulwark’s strong performance in the first match against CFR Cluj’s high-powered attack was therefore all the more surprising.

For the first time since 2018, the Armenian record champions from Yerevan did not concede a goal in a home match on the international stage. However, FC Pyunik Yerevan also failed to score, which was not surprising given the Armenian side’s limited attack.

Last season, Serges Deblé was one of the few bright spots in FC Pyunik’s attack. The 32-year-old Ivorian was the top scorer in the Armenian Premier League last season with 22 goals. In the summer, Deblé moved to Tobol Kostanay on a free transfer.

Similarly, Firmino, last season’s second highest scorer, also departed during the summer break. The Portuguese left for league rivals Ararat-Armenia. Those departures made themselves felt in the first competitive match of the new season. It is therefore quite possible that this time, too, a goal against CFR Cluj will fail to materialise.

Predicted line-up of Yerevan:
Yurchenko; Gonzalez, Bratkov, Vakulenko, Kovalenko, Juninho; Davidyan, Cociuc, Zambrano, Dashyan; Otubanjo

Last matches played by Yerevan:

Champions League Qualifiers
05/07/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 0 – 0 CFR Cluj

Premier League
28/05/2022 – Alashkert FC 1 – 1 Pjunik Erewan

24/05/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 1 – 0 Ararat Erewan

15/05/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 1 – 1 Urartu FC

09/05/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 2 – 0 Van

CFR Cluj – Yerevan Direct comparison / H2H balance

Last week CFR Cluj and FC Pyunik met for the first time in their club history. The match in Yerevan ended in a goalless draw. CFR Cluj thus remained unbeaten against an Armenian team for the third time in a row. The Romanian champions also kept their clean sheet in all three matches against Armenian clubs.

CFR Cluj – Yerevan tip

Last week, CFR Cluj failed as supposedly clear favourites at Armenian champions FC Pyunik. CFR coach Petrescu’s team did not put in a bad performance and dominated the first leg for long stretches. However, because the Romanian champions were far too harmless in their attacking play, the result was a goalless draw.

With the draw in Yerevan, CFR Cluj nevertheless set the course for a place in the next qualifying round. The Romanian team’s home strength is the main reason for this. After all, CFR Cluj have not lost a home game in the qualifying rounds for the top flight since August 2019.

In contrast to the first leg just under a week ago, we expect a one-sided game in favour of the Romanian champions this time. CFR Cluj not only has the stronger squad, but also more international experience than the guests from Yerevan. In addition, CFR Cluj already dominated most of the match in the first leg and only narrowly missed a victory.

With a stake of six units, we therefore dare to bet on CFR Cluj vs Yerevan at reasonable odds on “HT/FT: 1/1”.