- Craiova form: Universitatea Craiova have won three and drawn two of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Egnatia form: KF Egnatia have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five in all competitions.
- Away stats: Egnatia are unbeaten away from home in the UEFA Conference League, but have only played one game on the road and conceded once.
Oltenii look to stretch the game while Egnatia will keep it tight
Standings and odds
Oltenii and Rrogozhinasit are currently 11th and 20th in the UEFA Conference League league phase with four and two points respectively from two games. The Romanians are the much clearer favorite at 1.41 with Egnatia the rank outsiders at 7.6 and the draw priced at 4.4.
System and recent results
Filipe Coelho has got Universitatea Craiova set up to play on the front foot in a 3-4-3 system or a back-three formation that is built on possession, width and controlled pressing. They come into this encounter off the back of a 5-0 away win over Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe in Liga I and a 1-1 draw at FC Voluntari in the Romanian Cup.
Key players
- Craiova have won 3 and drawn 2 of their last 5, with Alexandru Cicaldau pulling the strings in the middle and delivering 4 assists in those games.
- Simon Elisor has been the sharpest player, however, with 5 of his team's 11 goals having been scored in the last 5 matches.
Egnatia won’t give the hosts much space
Nevil Dede is a more pragmatic coach and his KF Egnatia side will likely sit deep in a 3-5-2 or a fluid back-five system designed to stay solid and counter when they can. Their previous two games saw a 2-1 away defeat to Dinamo Tirana in Kategoria Superiore, followed by a 1-0 home win over KS Teuta Durres.
A clash of styles is what we should see on Thursday at Stadionul Ion Oblemenco and it may become a game of chess. Craiova will want to stretch the field, while Egnatia will attempt to shut the middle and hit on transitions. The hosts look more likely to take control of the game and take the three points but it may be a little closer than the oddsmakers suggest as Egnatia are a compact team.
The over 2.5 goals bet does look a good way to get on board with Craiova's attacking superiority, but we also believe there is some value in both teams to score at 1.8.
