CFR Cluj vs Lazio Predictions

Lazio were beaten at the weekend, but can they respond in their Europa League clash with Cluj? These two have clashes with Celtic to come in this group, with Rennes filling out a tricky pool for the Italian side. They will be expected to put in a stronger showing in Europe than last season’s last 32 exit from this competition, but they will also be trying to keep their focus on a top-four tilt domestically.

Cluj will be hoping to take advantage of any loss of focus for Lazio. The hosts had made the final round of the Champions League qualifiers, only to lose out to Slavia Prague with a 2-0 aggregate defeat. The Romanian side had beaten Celtic on their way to the playoff stage of the qualifiers, but now the pair are reunited in this Champions League group.

Lazio were unlucky to land Sevilla in the last 32 of this competition earlier this year. The Serie A side ended up having a disappointing campaign in the league and European fronts, but they made up for it by winning the Coppa Italia. This time around they are aiming to make the Champions League again, so expect Simone Inzaghi’s rotation policy to continue in this competition.

Cluj should be confident heading into this game, with the visitors coming here with patchy form behind them. Four straight defeats in Europe mark Lazio out as a beatable side. They didn’t really convince in their group clashes either, which were a disappointment following their run to the last eight in 2018. While Lazio are still favourites for this one, their defence remains a major issue.

The visitors were beaten 2-1 at SPAL on Sunday, which was their second game in a row without a clean sheet. When you add that Lazio saw both teams score in five of their six group games last term, it’s hard to be confident in them keeping a clean sheet here. They have failed to shut out their opponents in their last 10 matches in this competition, while Cluj scored five times across four home qualifiers this summer.

Overall we think that Lazio will be vulnerable here. When you factor in the travel, their record, their likely rotation and the slight match fitness edge Cluj have, the hosts should thrive going forward. They’ve played four ties in Europe alongside nine league games. In contrast, this is Lazio’s fourth game of the campaign. As a result, we are backing both teams to score in this clash, while we see Cluj holding the Italian giants to a 1-1 draw in this encounter.