CFR Cluj hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg of the Champions League qualification quarterfinals. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 24th at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu (Cluj-Napoca)
Cluj showed its temper in the return match with Astana in the Champions League qualification round. In that meeting, the Romanians conceded at the beginning of the first half, which forced them to go ahead and score at least 3 goals. Actually, CFR managed to do this. Players of Cluj immediately arranged the squall of attacks on the goal of Astana. Their opponent was forced to defend and could concede more than 3 goals. Therefore, we can safely say that the Romanians absolutely deservedly went to the next stage of the Champions League qualification.
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Maccabi had no competitors in the last season: the Israel Championship was won with a huge margin from the nearest rival. This allowed the team to return to the Champions League after 4 years (last time it played in the Champions League qualification in the 2015-2016 season). But such a solid lead in the local championship was not achieved thanks to the strength of Maccabi. Their main competitor (Hapoel) yielded its ground essentially. And such an easy victory in the Israeli Championship may affect the further performance of the team. Maccabi simply did not compete with strong opponents.
In my opinion, the Romanians are considered favorites deservedly. In the 1st round, they got a formidable and experienced rival, but CFR confidently dealt with Astana. And even in Kazakhstan, Cluj played on an equal footing with the local team, but the conversion failed. Therefore, the problems that CFR had in the first matches (failures in the Super Cup and the first round of the Romanian Championship, as well as the defeat in Astana) can be justified by rolling in the season. Cluj spent the last 2 meetings perfectly, hammering 7 goals in total. Maccabi held only one official match, having won with a minimum score in the Israeli Super Cup. In the friendly games, the Yellows didn’t impress: they lost not only to Genk but also to Saint-Gilloise. The Israeli rival has a better shape, and CFR plays at home, which means it will have support in the face of the fans. Therefore, I am waiting for a victory of Cluj. Moreover, Maccabi does not shine on the road.
Prediction for the match: CFR Cluj to win
