- Across their last 12 meetings in all competitions, both teams have secured wins and draws, with Craiova holding a slight historical edge.
- U Cluj have won three and lost two of their last five games, including a 4-0 victory over Craiova.
- Both teams are proven penalty-kickers with a knack for getting through to the next round.
Cup final doubleheader for Cluj
A local derby makes up the Cupa României final between Universitatea Cluj and Universitatea Craiova on Wednesday.
The two ‘Universitateas’ are old rivals who don’t much like each other, which should make for a cagey, tense and hard-fought cup final. Prestige, a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League or Conference League, and of course the Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova prediction await the winners, so there is plenty to play for too.
Craiova finished top of the full-season table on 60 points, but U Cluj were not far behind in third with 54 and they have been very close in the SuperLiga play-off table too.
As of 09 May 2026, Craiova are top on 46 points and U Cluj are second on 42, so these two clubs have been neck-and-neck all season. The visitors are coming into the game on the back of three wins, a penalty-shootout win over Dinamo after a 2-2 draw in the Cup semis, and only one bad result - a 0-4 defeat to U Cluj. This Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova preview highlights how tightly contested this final is expected to be.
Craiova will test U Cluj’s tactical smarts
Filipe Coelho’s men are a solid five-man defensive unit, with disciplined wing-backs covering all the angles and absorbing waves of pressure before popping up at the other end with clinical counter-attacks.
Craiova have enough creativity and clinical finish in Steven Nsimba, who leads the line, plus the energy of Ştefan Baiaram and Anzor Mekvabishvili in wide areas to cause problems.
Our Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova prediction is influenced by the fact that U Cluj are more of a pro-active side, trying to force the pace in transition and stretch the defence with their pacy wide players. Cristiano Bergodi’s appointment as manager in October 2025 has made the team more compact and ruthless in transition, which is why they have started to climb the table.
The Black and Blues will look to get veteran midfielder Dan Nistor, who orchestrates the tempo and most of the set pieces, onto the ball as often as possible, particularly in this important fixture.
Goals unlikely in low-scoring game
Backing ‘under 2.5 goals’ at 1.68 is perhaps the smartest play in this fixture because the cup finals tend to be cagey and tense, which is what the odds suggest here.
This Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova prediction underlines that Craiova are the slight favourites to win at 2.43, but there is little between the clubs and U Cluj are 2.89 to take the cup in regular time with the draw on the same betting page at 3.24.
We are going for the draw at 3.24 and the possibility of extra time and then a penalty shoot-out, but we wouldn’t rule out a 1-1 or 2-1 away win with our correct score bet in these Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova betting tips. Both clubs have proven they have the nerve to win close games on penalties.
Edvinas Gertmonas has been a rock at the back for U Cluj, making the saves when needed throughout the cup run, and Craiova’s central defenders have helped keep plenty of clean sheets while Assad Al-Hamlawi has come up big in the play-offs, scoring vital goals and converting under pressure in shootouts.
