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Recommended bets
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Match preview
Having dropped down from the Europa League, Lazio are joint-second favourites to win this competition, behind only West Ham.
Amazingly, in Europa League Group F, all four clubs ended up on eight points.
Thus, goal difference was used as the tie-breaker and Lazio ended up in third, thanks largely to a 5-1 demolition at the hands of Midtjylland in Herning.
Maurizio Sarri’s side didn’t aim to be in the Europa Conference League but, now they’re here, I Biancocelesti are hoping to go all the way.
Lazio won the last-ever Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1999, beating Mallorca at Villa Park, before defeating Manchester United in the subsequent Super Cup.
In more recent times, their best runs in UEFA competition came in 2013 and 2018, ousted in the Europa League quarter-finals.
CFR Cluj do come into this tie as massive underdogs, but will take heart from their previous encounters with Lazio.
In the 2019 group stages, Cluj got through at Lazio’s expense, winning 2-1 when they met in Transylvania.
This season, Dan Petrescu’s side finished second in their Europa Conference League section, below Sivasspor, with their only defeats in 15 European matches coming at the hands of the aformentioned Turkish Cup winners.
The Railwaymen have never won a knockout phase tie and, given that they’ve lost their last four visits to Italy, this fact doesn’t look like changing.
Can Lazio establish a healthy first leg advantage at Stadio Olimpico?
Lazio team news
Pedro has won 25 major trophies in his career, including three Champions Leagues and the Europa League, so will he complete the set with this competition?
Winger Luka Romero is suspended having been sent off in their matchday six defeat to Feyenoord.
Ciro Immobile is already Lazio’s record goal-scorer of all-time, with 190 and counting, so will he add to his 25 goals in UEFA tournaments?
CFR Cluj team news
Ciprian Deac could be the Romanian champions’ main goal threat, having scored nine goals in Europe for the club since the start of the 2019/20 season.
Left-back Mário Camora will make his 461st appearance for Cluj, extending his club record.
Lazio vs CFR Cluj: Head to head statistics
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