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Action resumes in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers as Universitatea Cluj and Ararat-Armenia square off on Thursday. With last week’s reverse leg ending in a stalemate, a place in the third qualifying round will be on the line and this makes for an exciting contest at the Sibiu Municipal Stadium.
Universitatea Cluj were left spitting feathers last weekend when they fell to a 2-1 loss against Ion Oblemenco Stadium in their Romanian Superliga clash after conceding twice in the last eight minutes of the tie.
Prior to that, Ioan Ovidiu Sabau’s side kicked off the 2025-26 league campaign with one win and one draw from their opening two games, before playing out a goalless draw with Ararat-Armenia in their Conference League qualifying opener last Thursday.
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Universitatea Cluj secured their spot in the Conference League qualifiers after finishing fourth in the Superliga championship round table last season.
As for Ararat-Armenia, they enjoyed a solid 2024-25 American top-flight campaign as they finished runner-up in the table to secure a spot in the Conference League qualifiers.
Manuel Tulipa’s men picked up 21 wins and three draws from their 30 matches to collect 66 points, nine behind champions FC Noah and four above third-placed Urartu.
Ararat-Armenia have come into the new season seeking a return to Europe, having suffered a third-round exit from the Conference League qualifiers last season after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Hungarian side Puskas Akademia.
Universitatea Cluj vs Ararat-Armenia Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be just the second-ever meeting between Universitatea Cluj and Ararat-Armenia, with their first encounter coming in last week’s reverse leg when they played out a goalless draw.
- Universitatea Cluj have failed to win six of their last seven games across all competitions, losing four and claiming two draws since late June.
- Ararat-Armenia have won seven of their nine competitive away matches in 2025, only suffering defeats against Noah in the league and cup respectively.
- Cluj have failed to win four of their last five competitive home games, losing three and claiming one draw since the start of April.
Universitatea Cluj vs Ararat-Armenia Prediction
While Ararat held their own to force a share of the spoils in the reverse leg, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a superior Cluj side. That said, we anticipate a cagey affair at the Sibiu Municipal Stadium, with the home side coming away with a narrow victory.
Prediction: Universitatea Cluj 2-1 Ararat-Armenia
Universitatea Cluj vs Ararat-Armenia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Universitatea Cluj to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in nine of Cluj’s last 10 games)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have also been at least three goals scored in eight of the hosts’ last 10 matches)
