CS Universitatea Craiova of Romania lock horns with Albanian side KF Egnatia on matchday three of the UEFA Europa Conference League league phase on Thursday. While both sides are unbeaten in two games, Egnatia are winless.
Filipe Coelho’s Craiova are fresh off a 2-1 home win over FC Botosani last weekend in the SuperLiga. David Matei and Assad Al Hamlawi struck inside 27 minutes before Stefan Bodisteanu reduced arrears for Botosani six minutes into the second period.
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Nevertheless, the White-Blues registered their seventh straight win to remain second in the standings, with 32 points from 14 outings, winning 10, a point behind leaders Dinamo Bucharest. They now turn their attention to Europe, where their last game was a 3-1 win last month at Inter Club d’Escaldes, with Al Hamlawi being one of three scorers for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Nevil Dede’s Egnatia are coming off a 2-1 Superliga win at Tirana at the weekend. Recovering from Drilon Hazrolla’s first-half opener, Egnatia struck either side of the break to take all three points.
Following a second straight win, Dede’s side remain four points clear at the top, with 24 points from 10 matches, winning eight. Their next assignment takes them to the continent, where they are coming off a 1-1 draw at 10-man AGF last month to make it two draws out of two.
On that note, here’s a look at the head-to-head stats and key numbers, match prediction, and betting tips for the Craiova-Egnatia Conference League showdown at Ion Oblemenco Stadium:
CS Universitatea Craiova vs KF Egnatia head-to-head stats and key numbers
- The two teams are meeting each other for the very first time, so their head-to-head record reads 0-0.
- Craiova are unbeaten in four games against Albanian clubs, winning three, while Egnatia will meet Romanian opposition for the first time.
- The White-Blues are unbeaten in eight home games across competitions, winning six.
- Egnatia have won two of their last five road outings across competitions, losing twice.
- Form guide (last five games across competitions, most recent result first): Craiova: W-D-W-W-W; Egnatia: W-W-L-D-W
CS Universitatea Craiova vs KF Egnatia prediction
Both sides have had superb starts to the season, both domestically as well as in Europe, where Craiova are 11th in the 36-team standings, while Egnatia are nine places adrift.
There’s no history between the two sides, with Egnatia having never faced Romanian clubs before. Craiova have been in strong form at home, while Egnatia have blown hot and cold on the road despite scoring in their last 10 games away from home.
However, considering Craiova’s superior quality and continental pedigree, they should take a comfortable victory.
Prediction: CS Universitatea Craiova 3-1 KF Egnatia
CS Universitatea Craiova vs KF Egnatia betting tips
Tip-1: Craiova to win
Tip-2: Egnatia to score (They have done so in their last 13 games.)
Tip-3: Over 1.5 goals
Edited by Bhargav
