FC Voluntari

vs

AFC Hermannstadt

Tips, Stats and Odds

AFC Hermannstadt hold a slender aggregate advantage going into Monday’s final second-leg of the 2026 Liga I Relegation-Promotion Playoffs, but can they make it count in Voluntari? There is plenty of history between these clubs, which have shared the same division and met in the play-offs on several occasions since 2017. Hermannstadt have the edge with eight wins to Voluntari’s six with six draws in all competitions.

That 3-1 victory was a previous home win, but the 3-2 defeat in the first-leg of this play-off means that we shouldn’t expect the same story to play out. In a tight match, Hermannstadt surged to a 3-0 lead before Voluntari clawed back two away goals, setting up a tense and nervy second-leg that will be decided by a moment of quality or a costly mistake.

Dorinel Munteanu has done a tremendous job at Hermannstadt, organising his men into a compact unit and squeezing the best from a limited squad. The visitors arrive in Bucharest with just 16 fit players and the experience of Sergiu Buș, a big-game player who found the net for the crucial third goal in the home leg and can be a handful for defences in the box.

Hermannstadt finished 14th in the 2025/26 SuperLiga season, scraping into the relegation play-off before finishing 8th in the play-out group. Munteanu’s side are scrappers and know how to grind out results, although they have the quality to cause problems in the wide areas with direct play and crosses from the byline.

The same can be said of Voluntari, who finished third in the Liga II promotion group with 64 points in 2025/26, and are led by Mihai Roman, who pulled his side back into the tie with a quality strike. Florin Pîrvu’s side are much more structured in their approach to games, preferring to build up from the back in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 system and hit their opponents on the counter.

The two teams are evenly matched in terms of recent form, with Voluntari having more wins than defeats in their last five, while Hermannstadt's form is mixed. Voluntari’s recent results include a 4-2 away win at Steaua and a spirited comeback in the 3-2 first-leg defeat, so they have the goal power to get forward and score.

But they also concede a lot of goals, with Radu Crișan one of their greatest threats from set pieces and in the air, heading in their second away goal in the Sibiu game and keeping the defence together during the closing moments.

With Hermannstadt having the upper hand and Voluntari having more to play for following last season’s play-off disappointment, we expect the away side to lock up shop and push for a narrow victory.

Silviu Balaure was on target in the away leg and has been Hermannstadt’s biggest threat this season and is among their top contributors. He can unlock any defence with a run or a cross from the right wing, but Marko Bašić and Matko Bačić offer Voluntari depth to come off the bench and change the game.

There will be tension on the pitch on Monday, with plenty to fight for and the weather set to be cloudy with a chance of rain, which could suit the more direct teams. The under 2.5 goals market at 1.67 is a top bet for this game, given neither side are prolific scorers, but both have had a few games with three or more goals recently.