FCSB vs FC Universitatea Cluj Prediction: Can the Red Caps continue their unbeaten run against the defending champions?

Defending champions FCSB will start their title defense when they host FC Universitatea Cluj on Saturday at the Arena Naţională. Studenții are unbeaten in their last four games against the Red and Blues. Can they continue this run? Below are previews, head-to-head statistics, expert betting tips, and odds.

FCSB started the season with silverware after recording a 3-0 win over Hunedoara in the Super Cup. The 2023/2024 champions won the league last season with 49 points–3 points ahead of second-placed CFR Cluj. 

The 2023/2024 highest goalscorer, Florinel Coman, has completed a transfer to Al-Gharafa in Qatar in a deal worth €5.3m. However, Darius Olaru should return after recently representing Romania's national team in the EURO 2024. Ovidiu Popescu was also released and later signed for Universitatea Cluj, and Ovidiu Perianu secured a temporary move to newly promoted Unirea Slobozia. The defending champions made efforts to add Marius Ștefănescu (right winger), Daniel Popa (center-forward), and David Kiki (left-back) to their squad. 

Outside the league fixtures, they recorded a 7-1 win over San Marino's premier league champions, Virtus, in the first leg of the Champions League qualification phase. Darius Olaru got a first-half hat trick, and David Miculescu and the new signing Daniel Popa got a brace. From the preseason to now, they have won all four games, scoring 20 goals and conceding just 2.

Universitatea Cluj ended last season 10th on the table, 8 points off the relegation zone. However, their preseason result is nothing to write home about. They started their pre-season friendlies with a 1-1 draw against Ried before getting a 5-0 win over Vocklamarkt. However, their last two games ended in a 2-0 loss to DVTK and Liberec. 

They have been very active during the transfer window. They sold Daniel Popa to FCSB for a fee reportedly around €300k. Roger, Albert Hofman, Alin Chinteș, Unirea Ungheni, Iustin Chirilă. Marco Fossati, Federico Anselmo, and Andrei Peteleu have been sent out on loan transfers. Alexandru Cîmpanu, Ante Roguljic, Ștefan Pănoiu and Marco Rus are all back to their parent clubs after the end of their loan deals. Moreso, Kevin Doukoure, Valentin Gheorghe, Andrei Pițian, Plamen Iliev, Cherno More, Dragoș Tescan, Raul Nistor, and Raul Rotund were made available on free transfer. However, they have added Vadim Rață (central midfield), Ovidiu Popescu (defensive midfield), Iulian Cristea (center-back), Berto (right winger), Adel Bettaieb (center-forward), Radu Boboc (right-back), Mamadou Thiam (striker), Dorin Codrea (central midfield), and Antonio Suciu (central midfield) to their squad.

Both sides have played 21 times in history. FCSB won 16, U. Cluj won 2, and 3 games ended in draws. Their most recent clash ended in a goalless draw. U. Cluj are unbeaten in their last four games against FCSB.

FCSB are the best team in the league so far. They won the league last season and already have the Super Cup in the cabinet. However, U. Cluj have remained a hard nut to crack for them after failing to get a win over them in their last four attempts. The attacking prowess of FCSB cannot be overstated here, scoring 20 goals in their previous four games. So, I expect both sides to find the back of the net in this clash. 

• BTTS for 2.00 odds
• Over 2.5 for 2.00 odds
• HT: X for 2.10 odds