CFR Cluj hosts FC Astana in the second leg of the Champions League qualification 1/8 finals. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 17th at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu (Cluj-Napoca)
The score of the first match (1-0) is in favor of the Kazakh team. And this is clearly the case when you can safely say that the score is not deserved! Cluj didn’t deserve the defeat in that match. However, the team of Petrescu should blame itself, because it did not convert one hundred percent attempts... After the first half, the Romanians were supposed to be ahead with a 2-0 score! After two super bloopers of Astana defenders, Cluj players had one-on-ones with the goalkeeper but didn’t hit the target both times... Perhaps this is called the absence of match practice since the season in Romanian football has not started yet, and the football players did not find their shot... But they will have every chance of success in the second match since their opponent is definitely not in the best shape. Astana regularly brings attempts to its penalty area, and the Romanians only need to convert them!
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Of course, Astana should be very pleased with the final score of the first match since it didn’t deserve this 1-0 score in terms of game... It was a great miracle and luck that the team managed to keep a clean sheet. Problems in the defense of the capital team are viewed during the entire season. In the local championship, Astana has already conceded 17 goals in 19 matches. In the last season, for comparison, Astana conceded only 22 goals in 33 matches. So, this is customary for Astana to bring attempts at its penalty area in this season... Well, actually, the current team’s position in the championship is far less certain than it was previously; now it ranks only second, ceding leadership to Tobol... Definitely, Cluj can find an approach to such Astana without much difficulty, and the fact that the Romanians did not convert a pile of attempts in the first match doesn’t prove anything. They will have attempts in the second one and are likely to convert them.
My bet on the upcoming game is a victory of Cluj. As I have already said, the Romanian team looked absolutely no worse than the opponent did in the first match, and only the lack of match practice caused not a very confident game in the decisive stages of the attacks. But Cluj will play at home, and the situation is going to change.
Prediction for the match: CFR Cluj to win
