CFR Cluj can secure second place in Europa Conference League Group G with a victory in this fixture against KF Ballkani on Thursday evening at Stadionul Dr Constantin Radulescu.
Kosovan side Ballkani have had a successful first European group stage and will be looking to end their campaign on a high even though they cannot qualify for the knockout stages.
Match preview
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After a 3-0 defeat to Sivasspor in their last Conference League game, Cluj can no longer finish top of the group but they can still qualify for the playoff round of this competition if they defeat bottom of the group, Ballkani.
That defeat in Europe was followed by a 2-1 loss in the league to FC Rapid 1923, the team directly above them in the standings.
Even though those consecutive defeats are not ideal, they can still qualify for the knockout stages in Europe and are only four points behind Rapid in the league with two games in hand, so the situation can still very much be recovered.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to an injury-time equaliser from Yuri Matias, a contribution which means they are in a position to qualify for the playoffs with a win, as well as the two clean sheets he helped his team to against Slavia Prague which has them winning the tiebreakers they need to qualify.
Progression to the playoff round in this tournament would be a success for Cluj after they finished fourth in their Conference League group last season. The route to the knockout stages will be tricky, however, with second place facing teams who come third in their Europa League group.
Ballkani suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in their last fixture against Slavia Prague, which ended their narrow chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. That match was their last competitive game, as they had no league fixture on the weekend, so they will be fresh coming into this last matchday.
The first taste of a European group stage for a Kosovan side has been quite successful in the grand scheme of things.
Games they have lost have been by a narrow one-goal margin and they also secured their first group stage win with a victory away at Sivasspor, who are currently top of the group.
Armend Thaqi will come away from this experience with positive memories, scoring three times so far in the Conference League, with the chance to improve that tally in the final group game. The captain scored in the last game between the two sides, so will have the confidence to perform against this Cluj side.
Ballkani are a team who have greatly benefited from the introduction of the Europa Conference League, being able to improve and show off their abilities on the European stage and play against a variety of opponents who have tested them in different ways than they are used to.
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Team News
Cluj made five changes from their disappointing last Conference League game for their league fixture on the weekend.
Two of the changes were unsurprising in the defence, with Christopher Braun and Andrei Burca coming into the side for Camora and Denis Kolinger.
Although these changes produced another defeat in the league, they did concede both goals from penalties, so the defence was greatly improved from open play, increasing the likelihood that they both may keep their places.
There were also two changes upfront, with Ciprian Deac being the only player to keep his place. Rangelo Janga is the most likely to come back into the side for this European game, with the other place in the forward line up for grabs.
Ballkani could match Cluj in a 4-3-3 formation, which helped them secure a draw in their previous meeting, with scorer from that last game Armend Thaqi starting at right-back.
As they have not had a league fixture since their last Europa Conference League game, the side will be well rested and it is likely that most of the team who started the last match will start this one after a positive performance against top-of-the-group Sivasspor.
CFR Cluj possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Camora, Burca, Matias, Manea; Cvek, Muhar, Adjei-Boateng; Junio, Janga, Deac
KF Ballkani possible starting lineup:
Frasheri; Potoku, Jashanica, Dellova, Thaqi; Zyba, Emerllahu, Kuc; Krasniqi, Rrahmani, Korenica
We say: CFR Cluj 2-1 KF Ballkani
With this being an important game to win for Cluj, we would expect them to be extra motivated and for their quality to eventually prove to be the difference.
A rested Ballkani side will provide a difficult test like they did in their previous meeting but Cluj should just edge it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
