Pyunik vs CFR Cluj – For a club with the structure of Pyunik, converting domestic dominance into European success would always be difficult, but Eghishe Melikyan’s team enters the new season with optimism rife throughout the ranks.
Prior to a successful season under Melikyan’s guidance in 2021–2022, Pyunik had not won the Armenian top-flight championship since 2015. This was due to seven years of domination by Alashkert and Ararat–Armenia.
Pyunik won the 15th Armenian Premier League championship with a point to spare despite having to settle for a 1-1 draw against Alashkert on the season’s final day, and they are now aiming to have a respectable run in the early stages of the Champions League.
In the Europa League, Pyunik has managed to reach as far as the third qualifying round, but they have never made it past round two of the Champions League qualifying process. Molde was the latest side to eliminate them at that point in 2015 by a score of 5-1 on aggregate.
The Academy finished the 2021–22 season with a stunning 17-game winning streak, including eight victories in nine home games since the beginning of the year, but Cluj has a much stronger European pedigree than their fellow national champions.
The 2021–22 Romanian top flight regular season saw Dan Petrescu’s team emerge as the dominant force. They finished with 76 points and held off FCSB in the playoff round to win their fifth consecutive top-division championship and eighth overall.
Cluj has previously played in four friendlies this summer, winning all of them and recording four clean sheets. Unlike their next opponents, Cluj has already played in three Champions League group stage matches.
The Romanian champions, who advanced as far as the third round of qualification last year before being eliminated by BSC Young Boys, have never lost in the first round of Champions League qualifying. However, they will play Sepsi in the Super Cup in between their two-leg matchup with Pyunik.
The match tomorrow will be the first time Pyunik and Cluj have squared off in any competition, although the guests had already encountered Armenian opposition at Alashkert during 2018–19 Europa League qualifying, and they prevailed by an aggregate score of 7–0.
Pyunik vs CFR Cluj – Betting Analysis
In their summer friendlies, Cluj have already shown a propensity for keeping clean sheets and marching to victory away from home, which will undoubtedly serve them well here.
Pyunik are a tough opponent at home, but Petrescu’s team has more continental experience and will hope to take a lead after the first leg before the second leg next week.
As was stated at the outset, Cluj are overwhelming favourites, and we think that at the conclusion of the whole 90 minutes in Yerevan, they will have a significant lead.
Therefore, the best wager for this champions League qualifying game is on the visitors to win by a goal differential of two or more. We will also place a wager on over 2.5 goals because the odds of evens are too tempting to pass up.
Pyunik vs CFR Cluj – Head-to-Head
Our Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
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