- Team form: Alashkert have not lost any of their last 10 matches across all competitions (Won 6, drawn 4).
- Recent form: CFR 1907 Cluj have won 2 and drawn 3 of their last 5.
- Home form: Alashkert are unbeaten in their last 5 at home (Won 3, drawn 2).
Sides set to cancel each other out in Armenia
Odds and venue
CFR 1907 Cluj are chalked up as narrow favorites for this UEFA Conference League qualification fixture against Alashkert, but the Armenian Premier League side will not be pushovers at home in Yerevan. The visitors are 2.05 on the road while Alashkert are a big 3.65 and the draw is coming in at 3.25 ahead of Thursday's opening-leg clash at the Football Academy Stadium.
Form comparison
That price on the draw is probably fair because these two sides are very evenly matched on paper and, although the markets are leaning towards the Romanians, it's hard to confidently support either of these teams to win. Alashkert arrive in better form with six wins and four draws in their last 10, but CFR 1907 are a solid, if unspectacular, unit with four wins, four draws and just two defeats in the same period.
Alashkert are a well-organised, pragmatic unit
Alashkert's strengths
Vahe Gevorgyan's side are compact in their shape and quick in transition with the energy and work-rate to apply pressure on set-pieces. Alashkert can be dangerous in the wide areas and have the presence of Daouda Togola up front, who has been their danger man with one goal in two UEFA Conference League Qualification matches. But Karen Nalbandyan provides the spark in the No.10 zone, where he links the defense and attack together in their 4-2-3-1 system.
CFR's approach
The visitors are more ball-dominant and have been playing an aggressive pressing game under Antonio Folha, who has brought a possession-first, aggressive pressing approach to CFR 1907 Cluj. CFR will try to control the pace of the game, but there will be no fireworks for the Romanian's fans in this clash of styles against Alashkert, which is likely to be a chess match.
CFR have been stalling in the final third
Recent results
Alashkert are coming off a 2-0 home win over FC Shirak in the Armenian Premier League and a 1-1 away draw with Elimai FC in this competition, winning on penalties in the second leg.
- CFR 1907 Cluj have drawn three straight games, all of which were close but not necessarily thrilling – 0-0 with Universitatea Craiova at home, 0-0 away at FC Dinamo Bucuresti and 1-1 with FC Arges at their own place.
- Their most potent end-product threat is Andrei Cordea, who has two of the four goals they have scored in the last five.
- Gevorgyan's men have been rock solid at home, going unbeaten in their last five at Football Academy Stadium, so we think they can avoid defeat in the first leg of this clash – CFR have two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five away – and we're backing the Romanians to take a narrow victory as the odds indicate they are.
Prediction & markets
But this has Under 2.5 goals written all over it, which is marked at 1.6, while BTTS No at 1.72 and BTTS Yes at 2.0.
