- Craiova are unbeaten in their last five competitive matches, including two recent 4-1 and 5-0 wins.
- Argeș are resilient and have been grinding out results in league and cup, and recently notched a notable win over FCSB.
- Craiova have won the last two Liga I meetings between these clubs 2-1 and 3-1 respectively (2025).
Craiova looking to take control of the play-off
Universitatea Craiova are the clear favorites at 1.58 for Friday’s clash with FC Arges who are outsiders at 6.09, with the tie price at 3.65. Our Universitatea Craiova vs FC Arges prediction highlights the home team's superior recent form and quality.
Craiova finished the regular season with 59 points from 29 games, the most in Liga I, while Argeș were sixth with 49 points - the minimum required to make the play-offs.
So a home win would make it a bad day for the visitors, but a point and a result would keep things tight at the top and enhance the chances of both clubs in the title race and European places.
Argeș are likely to offer strong resistance after booking their Cupa României semi-final spot with an amazing extra-time victory.
Tactical duel - Craiova’s attack vs Argeș’s structure
Filipe Coelho has made a dramatic impact on the club since he took over in November 2025, turning them into a high-tempo, attack-minded team with wide overloads, vertical passes and a fluid front three.
They create a lot of chaos and chances, but are very defensively solid too - with players like Alexandru Cicâldău, an experienced creator, at the heart of the action.
In Aimé Steven Nsimba, Craiova have an attacking spearhead, consistently among the league’s top scorers and central to their high goal output.
This Universitatea Craiova vs FC Arges preview underlines how Argeș have had a much more mixed bag of results lately, but they are a tough team that doesn’t give up on any game. Their recent results have mirrored their cup resilience; they also held Unirea Slobozia to a 0-0 draw in their final regular-season match.
Goal markets offer value
Bogdan Andone is a pragmatist and sets up his team to be compact and disciplined, with a platform to hit on the counter or in the set pieces, rather than a side that will have a high number of shots or much possession.
Ricardo Matos is a real target-man and has nine league goals to his name, which is the best Argeș can offer in open play. Robert Moldoveanu is another pressing forward that has hit some great goals for them in cup and league lately, so I’m not counting him out.
The Universitatea Craiova vs FC Arges prediction is that it would be a surprise if Craiova didn’t win this, given the home crowd, superior form and greater attacking talent, but Argeș are no mugs and I think they can keep it close in a very tense game. Andone’s team have been so tested in the cups that they should be able to frustrate Craiova for long periods.
I don’t think both teams will score - Craiova are more of a scoring than conceding team while Argeș are more of a conceding team than scoring - so the ‘Both teams to score - No’ market looks good value at 1.74.
Also, ‘Under 2.5 goals’ looks like a solid proposition at 1.8 as Craiova are more solid defensively than they might appear. The last time these clubs met in a friendly, Craiova won 4-3, and that seems more like the way these games have gone in the past.
This Universitatea Craiova vs FC Arges betting tips section wouldn't be complete without noting Kevin Brobbey, who has been in superb form, came off the bench to score vital extra-time goals during the cup run and could be the man to make the difference if this match goes to the wire.
