Sporting Braga vs CFR Cluj

Braga’s Unbeaten Streak

Considering both official matches and friendly encounters, Sporting Braga is currently on an impressive nine-game unbeaten run, having secured victories in eight of those fixtures!

Pre-season Dominance

During their pre-season preparations, the Portuguese side displayed flawless form, triumphing over all their opponents: Paços de Ferreira (1-0), Wolfsberg (2-0), Panathinaikos (2-1), Moreirense (2-0), and Celta (3-1).

European Qualification Journey

Carlos Vicens’ men were determined to continue their winning ways into the Europa League qualifiers. While they did register an away draw against Levski (0-0) initially, they managed to overcome the Bulgarians on home turf in extra time (1-0), demonstrating their class. It must be acknowledged, however, that Levski employed a very defensive “three-story bus” strategy. But once they faced a team willing to play more openly, like CFR Cluj, Braga immediately secured a victory – 2-1, even though the match was played in Romania.

Primeira Liga Strong Start

The “Red-Whites” played their opening Primeira Liga fixture against Tondela in an economical mode, yet still managed to comfortably defeat them with a convincing 3-0 scoreline.

Offensive and Defensive Prowess

Vicens’ squad consistently showcases an excellent and stable offensive approach, averaging 1.77 goals per game. Their defense, on the other hand, appears to be “rock-solid,” conceding only 0.33 goals on average.

Team News: Noro’s Absence

Injured Noro will be absent from the upcoming game. However, he is typically a rotation player, so his absence might not significantly impact the team’s core performance.

Challenging Season Start for CFR Cluj

The beginning of the season proved rather unsuccessful for CFR Cluj, as they suffered a 1-2 defeat to FCSB in the Romanian Supercup match.

Struggles in Romanian Championship

As for the Romanian championship, things are quite dire for the visitors, who have managed to collect only four out of a possible twelve points. This is particularly concerning given their opponents were of average caliber: Unirea (2-1), Rapid (1-1), Argeș (0-2), and Universitatea Craiova (2-3). It’s evident that Dan Petrescu’s team finds such a tight schedule of two matches per week quite challenging.

Energy-Sapping European Qualifiers

Far too much energy was expended in the first two qualification stages of the Europa League, as the outcome was always decided in the return legs. This was the case first against Paksi, and then against Lugano. Both initial matches were away fixtures that ended in goalless draws. However, in Romania, CFR secured clean victories – 3-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Injury Concerns for the Romanian Side

The Romanian specialist faces a much worse situation regarding injuries, as four key players are currently in the infirmary: Omeruo, Rocha, Muhar, and Camara.