- CFR 1907 Cluj have won 2 and drawn 2 of their last 5 matches.
- Tromso IL have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 5 away games in all competitions.
Clash of styles at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Radulescu
CFR 1907 Cluj are in much better form than Tromso IL coming into Thursday's UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 clash at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Radulescu in Romania, where the hosts are slight favourites at 8/5, with the Norwegians at 17/10 and the draw at 11/5.
CFR arrive on a 2-game winning streak after hammering FC Voluntari 5-0 in Liga I and Alashkert 3-0 in the UEFA Conference League qualifier. They are a rock-solid 5 wins, 4 draws and just 1 defeat in their last 10 across all comps.
Tromso, who have won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3 of their last 10 in all comps, have been more up-and-down and enter this clash following a 1-0 defeat at home and a 3-1 defeat away to FC Hradec Kralove.
Goals could be at a premium
CFR Cluj's Antonio Folha has made them look far more ambitious than they have been for years while keeping the pragmatic base. They set up with either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, build up in a controlled way, press selectively and are not too exposed when they have to defend deep, as they can be incredibly compact.
They have the ability to play forward and fast when they get the chance, but with Alin Razvan Fica their main spark in UEFA Conference League qualifying (1 goal in 2 games), this will be a tight fixture.
Tromso are more direct and wide, setting up in a 4-3-3 shape with their full-backs up and a higher press to try and force the opposition into turnovers in the wide areas. Heine Aasen Larsen has been their hot hand with 4 of their 13 goals in the last 5 matches.
Tight European encounter predicted
CFR are the best side on paper and the better team coming into this game so they are my pick to edge it, but the odds suggest this will be a cagey European encounter rather than a one-sided affair. Under 2.5 goals at 19/25 and Both Teams to Score - No at 23/25 also appeal, so a low-scoring CFR win with fewer than 2.5 goals looks like a good fit for the fixture.
Tromso have 6 goals in their last 5 aways, so they can nick a goal in Romania, but the clash of CFR's transition game against Tromso's tempo and wide nature could see the hosts control the middle and the wide zones.
