CS Corvinul 1921 Hunedoara vs HNK Rijeka Prediction & Betting Tips - Europa League

Prediction published on 25/07/2024, 04:02  by Daniel Ngulu in Europa League Predictions

Romanian side Cornivul Hunedoara will host their Croatian counterparts Rijeka in the first leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday. These two square off in the second qualifying round of the competition at the Michael Klein Stadium. Here we look at the numbers from the teams’ recent runs ahead of offering a prediction for the match.

Hosts Cornivul are coming from a very shaky run and will be hoping for some stability at home. In their last five matches, they managed only one win in regular time while three were losses. They also failed to score in two of their last three matches.

However, their most important victory was the 4-0 win away to Paks which earned them this slot. Though they lost 2-0 in the return leg, a comfortable win in the first leg placed them well in control.

Rijeka are set for their first competitive match of the season and with their European experience, will be favorites in this encounter. In 2019/20, they reached the Conference League group stage, a high they’ll want to record once again.

Facing a relatively new side in European football should work well for the Croatians. Even in their favorites’ status, Rijeka can’t afford to underrate the Romanian side, especially after their exploits in the last round.

There are lessons from preseason to guide on not underestimating an opponent. Rijeka couldn’t replicate their 7-1 preseason win over Primorje as they fell 1-0 to Salzburg in their final warm-up. Zeljko Sopic will however feel his charges are up to the task as they head into the business end of the season.