David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Corvinul Hunedoara
Paksi SE
One of the matches in the Round of 16 of the Europa League will take place on Thursday in Sibiu, where Romanian club Corvinul Hunedoara will host Hungarian team Paksi at the Stadionul Municipal. The first leg in Hungary ended in a resounding 4-0 victory for Hunedoara. Here’s a prediction for this match from the experts at Dailysports.
Corvinul Hunedoara
Last season, the "Ravens" secured victory in the Romanian Cup, which earned them a spot in the Europa League qualifiers. In the decisive match, Hunedoara triumphed over Oțelul in a penalty shootout (2-2 in regular time). Notably, in their pre-season preparations, the Ravens played two friendly matches, both ending in 0-2 away defeats to Celje and Borac Banja Luka.
In their first official match, Hunedoara faced FCSB in the Romanian Supercup. The team of Florin Maxim could not put up a fight against the favorite, losing 0-3. However, they started the Europa League campaign impressively by netting four unanswered goals against Paksi, allowing Corvinul to calmly prepare for the home leg and the next round. It’s unlikely that the Hungarians can perform a miracle.
Paksi
György Bognár's team had an excellent last season, deservedly finishing second in the Hungarian championship, behind only the national flagship, Ferencváros. Additionally, Paksi added the Hungarian Cup to their trophy cabinet. In the Cup final, Paksi defeated Ferencváros in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in regular time.
In preparation for the European competitions, the "Nuclear" team played several friendly matches, securing victories against teams like Budafok, Hebar, and Austria. Nonetheless, Paksi faltered in the home leg against the Romanian side, suffering a 0-4 defeat, which almost extinguishes their hopes of advancing to the next round. The Hungarians might only manage to "slam the door" loudly.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- Last week’s match was only Corvinul’s second win in their last eight games.
- The Romanian club has won six consecutive home matches.
- Corvinul is unbeaten in 13 consecutive home games.
Corvinul Hunedoara vs Paksi Prediction
Surprisingly, bookmakers slightly favor Paksi, giving the visitors odds of 2.11 for a win. We anticipate a high-scoring match and our bet is "Total Over 2.5" with odds of 1.70.
