CFR Cluj vs Paksi FC Prediction and Betting Tips | July 17th 2025

CFR Cluj and Paksi FC return to action in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers when they go head-to-head on Thursday. With last week’s first leg ending all square, a place in the second qualifying round remains very much up for grabs and thus makes for an exciting clash at the Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu.

CFR Cluj kicked off the 2025-26 Romanian Superliga campaign on a positive note as they secured a 2-1 home victory over Unirea Slobozia last Sunday.

Before that, Dan Petrescu’s men saw their 11-game unbeaten run come to an end on July 5, when they fell to a 2-1 loss against FCSB in the Romanian Super Cup, five days before holding out for a goalless draw against Paksi in the first leg of the Europa League first qualifying round.

Cluj are looking to secure European football for the first time since 2023, when they reached the knockout-stage playoff of the UEFA Conference League before losing 1-0 on aggregate to Lazio.

Paksi, on the other hand, picked up a morale-boosting result ahead of Thursday’s crunch tie as they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Ivancsa in a friendly last weekend.

This was a much-needed result for Gyorgy Bognar’s side, who had failed to win their previous four games, losing twice and claiming two draws in that time.

Paksi secured a Europa League qualifying berth after an impressive 2024-25 campaign, where they clinched the Hungarian Cup title and secured a third-placed finish in the league table.

CFR Cluj vs Paksi FC Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• This will be just the second encounter between CFR Cluj and Paksi, with both sides playing out a goalless draw when they first met in last week’s first leg.
• Cluj have lost just one of their last 14 matches across all competitions while picking up eight wins and five draws since April 24.
• Paksi are unbeaten in 10 of their most recent 11 competitive away games in 2025, claiming seven wins and three draws since the turn of the year.
• Cluj are on a run of 17 back-to-back competitive home matches without defeat, picking up 13 wins and four draws since the start of October 2024.

CFR Cluj vs Paksi FC Prediction

Given the stakes of Thursday’s clash, we expect Cluj and Paksi to go all out at the Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu as they look to reach the second qualifying round.

However, Dan Petrescu’s side have been near impenetrable at home and we are backing them to come away with a comfortable victory.

Prediction: CFR Cluj 3-1 Paksi FC

CFR Cluj vs Paksi FC Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Cluj to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in five of Cluj’s last seven matches)

Tip 3: First to score - Cluj (The hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last seven games)

Edited by Peter P