CFR Cluj take on the visitors Lazio in the second leg of UEFA Conference League 1/16-final round. The first leg result: 0-1. The match will be played on Thursday, February 23rd at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu (Cluj-Napoca).
Cluj finally ended their three-game losing streak with a win in the last round in domestic league. One of those losses, as we know, was in Italy. Even though CFR played with a man advantage for 15 minutes in that match, they couldn't pull off a draw. It's hard to say what caused the crisis for the "Railwaymen," but in their latest game against Arges, they played great and managed to score three times. In six matches of the group stage, Cluj scored only five goals. However, in four of those matches, they didn't leave the field without a goal. In their domestic championship, the Romanian team has already scored 41 goals in 26 games.
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Lazio’s head coach Maurizio Sarri was extremely upset with the refereeing in their last meeting with Cluj. Nevertheless, his team won. They also won the next match in Serie A, although their opponent was the modest Salernitana, placed on 16th position. This was only the second match out of their last six battles in which the Romans kept a clean sheet. The team's defensive problems, especially away from home, are evident. In seven of their last nine away games, they failed to keep a clean sheet. In the Europa Conference League, the Italians dropped out of the competition, conceding 11 goals in six group stage matches. Only in one qualifying match did Lazio's defense manage to keep a clean sheet.
Of course, Lazio was the favorite in the overall confrontation even before the first match, and it remains so now. However, Cluj is an experienced European fighter and won't give up easily. They are just one goal away from extra time, and they are capable of scoring on their home turf. As noted above, the Italian defense tends to make mistakes when playing away. It's hard to say who will advance to the next round, but the "Railwaymen" will surely do everything possible to win and at least score a goal against the Italians, based on the available data. The teams have met three times, and only one of those matches took place in Romania, when CFR managed to score twice.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score.
